Nduka Lewis Ekpenyong, of Hewlett, charged with stealing $2.5M from Medicaid, using funds for luxury cars, mansion mortgage

A Hewlett businessman has been arrested and indicted for allegedly stealing more than $2.5 million from Medicaid in a scheme that state prosecutors say left some children without the nutritional supplements they needed.

State Attorney General Letitia James said Monday Nduka Lewis Ekpenyong, 36, used the Medicaid funds to buy a Bentley and Range Rover, and to pay the mortgage on his Hewlett mansion.

Ekpenyong, through his medical supply business, Duke Medical Inc. in Brooklyn, allegedly submitted more than 6,000 claims to Medicaid for PediaSure with Peptide supplements between April 2023 and July 2025. Only 10% of purchases in the claims were actually made, the attorney general said.

Ekpenyong couldn’t immediately be reached for comment on Monday and no attorney was listed as representing him in the case in state Supreme Court in Brooklyn. A voicemail left at Duke Medical wasn't immediately returned.

Ekpenyong and Duke Medical were charged with one count of grand larceny in the first degree, one count of healthcare fraud in the second degree, and one count of scheme to defraud in the first degree, according to the criminal indictment.

If convicted, Ekpenyong faces up to 25 years in prison.

“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 announcing the arrest and indictment. “My office has shut down this heartless fraud scheme for good.”

Ekpenyong allegedly instructed office staff at pediatric practices to alter doctors’ prescriptions for the basic PediaSure Nutritional Supplement and submit requests that would allow him to bill Medicaid for the more expensive, and medically unnecessary, PediaSure with Peptides. PediaSure with Peptides is intended only for children diagnosed with severe gastrointestinal issues, according to the criminal indictment.

Besides the indictment of Ekpenyong and his business, the attorney general is seeking civil asset forfeiture, which would allow the state to seize the assets bought with the stolen Medicaid money, such as the luxury automobiles. The action would also prevent Ekpenyong from selling his Hewlett home.

The forfeiture action seeks $7.6 million in damages.

Check back for updates on this developing story.

By James T. Madore

james.madore@newsday.comJamesTMadore

James T. Madore writes about Long Island business news including the economy, development, and the relationship between government and business. He previously served as Albany bureau chief.