A Long Island man accused of running a brazen Medicaid scheme used the proceeds to fund a luxury lifestyle, including a mansion and a Bentley, while infants in need were allegedly shortchanged on prescribed formula, officials said Monday.
Nduka Lewis Ekpenyong, 36, allegedly siphoned $2.6 million from the taxpayer-funded program by giving low-quality PediaSure to vulnerable babies who had been prescribed costlier specialized formulas, according to New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Authorities said he then billed Medicaid as if the more expensive formulas had been provided and kept the price difference for himself.
“While Nduka Ekpenyong was buying luxury cars with money he allegedly stole from our state’s Medicaid program, families affected by his fraud were struggling to feed their children,” James said in a press release.
“My office has shut down this heartless fraud scheme for good.”
Ekpenyong, who faces charges of grand larceny and healthcare fraud as well as a related civil lawsuit, allegedly spent the stolen funds on a $1.6 million home in affluent Hewlett, a $70,000 black Bentley, a $67,000 black Range Rover and other high-end purchases.
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Officials said he also poured money into flashy home upgrades, including an outdoor kitchen, a marble fountain and a bright red basketball court in the front yard marked with his initial at center court.
Investigators further allege that Ekpenyong used the unlawful proceeds to buy a $33,000 Mercedes for his live-in girlfriend, who was herself enrolled in Medicaid, authorities said.
Prosecutors are suing him for nearly $7.6 million in damages, including the $2.6 million of bogus Medicaid bills.
Lewis ran the scam out of his Brooklyn company, Duke Medical, LLC, from April 2023 to July 2025, according to the lawsuit filed in Brooklyn court Monday.
Doctors’ offices would order the pricey formula from him for their needy patients — but there were times his company failed to deliver even any brand at all.
When it did dispense formula, it was “in fact dispensing a very basic, over-the-counter product, namely PediaSure,” James’ office said.
“The OAG’s investigation found that Duke Medical’s fraudulent scheme prevented some families in need from getting the formula their children’s pediatricians had ordered, preventing them from receiving the care they needed,” she said.
“This case should send a strong message to anyone seeking to profit by exploiting Medicaid: we will use the full force of the law to bring you to justice.”
