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TYLER – A 37-year-old Houston man has been sentenced to federal prison and ordered to pay restitution for his role in a multi-state health care fraud scheme that partially occurred in the Eastern District of Texas, Kevin Onwudiwe pleaded guilty last October to health care fraud charges. He was sentenced in Tyler yesterday to 24 months in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Michael H. Schneider. Onwudiwe was also ordered to pay $251,000 in restitution.

In a related matter, on April 5, 2011, Jasper Ogbonna, 42, of Newark, Delaware, pleaded guilty on Sep. 27, 2010 to health care fraud and was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $822,411.44. Ogbonna, the owner of a West Virginia medical supply company, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 30, 2009.

On January 6, 2010, a federal grand jury returned a superseding indictment charging Ogbonna, Anthony Nnadi, Onwudiwe, Tony Ahi, and Emmanuel Gabriels with health care fraud violations. According to the indictment, from August 2005 through April 2008, Ogbonna controlled and operated Matrix Medical Equipment and Supplies, Inc. in Weirton, West Virginia, and Nnadi controlled and operated Nicco Medical Services, LLC in Little Rock, Arkansas. Nnadi was assisted in the operation of Nicco Medical Services by Onwudiwe and Ahi. Both companies did business providing durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries.

During that time, Ogbonna, Nnadi, Onwudiwe, Ahi, Gabriels, and their co-conspirators devised and carried out a scheme to defraud Medicare through the marketing of “ortho kits,” which consisted of a bag of orthotic items such as braces, wraps, and supports. As part of the scheme, the defendants and their co-conspirators illegally obtained protected Medicare beneficiary health information, including names, dates of birth, and Medicare and Social Security numbers from elderly individuals. Approximately 509 Medicare beneficiaries in Texas and Louisiana were supplied with “ortho kits” which were not prescribed or authorized by a physician and which were not wanted by the beneficiaries. In many instances, physicians’ signatures were forged and false claims were submitted to Medicare in the names of Medicare beneficiaries who were deceased.

Using protected health information, the defendants and their co-conspirators billed between $4,850 and $6,550 for each “ortho kit”, causing the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare of more than $2.8 million. As a result of these claims, the defendants and their co-conspirators unlawfully obtained more than $1,095,000 from Medicare.

TYLER — ETMC is the first hospital system in East Texas to offer complete, online mammogram scheduling. “Online registration for digital mammography at ETMC will add convenience for East Texas women,” according to Regina Davis, director of the breast care center. “Women will be able to schedule their annual appointment at anytime on our secure website, by selecting the date, time and location.”

Patients can log on to http://www.etmc.org and click on the mammogram self-scheduling box, then follow the instructions. “The system will ask the patient questions to make sure she is the right age and meets specified guidelines to receive a screening mammogram. Women should have a baseline mammogram at age 35 to 40 and an annual mammogram beginning at age 40,” said Davis.

Officials say the system has other benefits as well. “We will also be able to generate e-mail reminders and provide additional services that will help East Texas women pursue healthy lifestyles through screening and early detection,” said Susan Shockey, referral services director. ETMC screens over 10,000 women a year for breast cancer.

TYLER — Texas Oncology-Tyler and Mother Frances Hospital of Tyler make a major announcement regarding a partnership with the International Genomics Consortium and the National Institutes of Health’s Cancer Genome Atlas project. Only 12 sites in the U.S. will be initially chosen within the IGC Network to participate in the project, which will look for the underlying mechanisms that cause cancer. Mother Frances spokesman John Moore says he and his colleagues are “very proud” to be a partner with Texas Oncology Tyler. Moore says Mother Frances does a lot of cancer surgeries and treatments every year. But according to Moore, the chance to actually participate in a large-scale study that will provide free data on ways to cure cancer is “just a great honor.”

TYLER — A new treatment that was tested at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has proven to be successful against a rare but serious lung disease called LAM, short for lymphangioleiomyomatosis. “Finally, a drug – sirolimus – has been found that can slow the progression of LAM, an unusual disorder that can lead to serious disability and death,” said James Stocks, M.D., a nationally known lung disease specialist. “LAM primarily strikes younger women who often still have young children at home. Though this is not a miracle cure, it is an important first step,” added Dr. Stocks, the principal investigator of the LAM clinical study at UTHSCT. Most women with the disease live only another eight to 10 years after their diagnosis.

Sirolimus, also known as rapamycin, is the first drug to effectively treat LAM, Dr. Stocks said. Because it suppresses the body’s immune system, sirolimus currently is used to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. It also is used as a coating for cardiac artery stents – metal mesh tubes that prop the arteries open – to prevent clotting. During one year of treatment, sirolimus improved the lung function and quality of life of the women who took it, according to the Multicenter International LAM Efficacy of Sirolimus (MILES). MILES is the first randomized, controlled study of a treatment for LAM. In this study, women were randomly assigned to receive sirolimus or a placebo, which is a substance that has no effect, such as a sugar pill.

In women with the disease, abnormal, out-of-control, muscle-like cells take over their lungs, lymph nodes, and kidneys. These mutant cells destroy normal lung tissue, making breathing difficult, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Sometimes the lungs of women with LAM collapse, causing pain and shortness of breath. LAM usually worsens over time, but how quickly it progresses varies greatly, the NHLBI says. Symptoms of LAM are shortness of breath, especially during physical activity; chest pain; frequent cough; and wheezing. The results of MILES were published in a recent online edition of The New England Journal of Medicine.

Besides UTHSCT, other institutions participating in the study included National Jewish Health in Denver; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; the Cleveland Clinic Foundation; the University of California at Los Angeles; Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston; the University of Toronto, Canada; and the National Hospital Organization Kinki-Chou Chest Medical Center in Osaka, Japan.

Funding for the study was provided by the NIH Office of Rare Disease Research; the Food and Drug Administration; the LAM Foundation, the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare; the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; the University of Cincinnati; the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance Rothberg Courage Award; Vi and John Adler; and the Adler Foundation.

TYLER — Tyler Police investigate two drive-by shootings. They occurred yesterday morning between 2:30 and 3:30. Officers first responded to 2411 Live Oak then got another report of shots fired at a 1506 N Pegues. The residents were home at both locations. No injuries were reported. Authorities say they do not believe the two shootings are related. Anyone with information is urged to contact Tyler Police, at 903-531-1000.

HALLSVILLE – A Dallas man remains in guarded condition in a Longview hospital following a weekend shooting in Hallsville. The shooting was reported around 10:00 Sunday night at a residence on Farm Road 449.

Investigators say Richard Newland, 47, was found lying on the ground outside the house. He had been shot once in the stomach. A suspect identified as L. J. Harris of Dallas was arrested at the scene. He has been charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and placed in the Harrison County jail in lieu of a $50,000.

Investigators say Newland, Harris and a third Dallas man had been visiting at the Harrison County residence. As they were preparing to drive back to Dallas an argument erupted. Investigators say Harris went back into the house and found a .22 caliber rifle. When he came back outside, that’s when Newland was shot.

AUSTIN — Governor Rick Perry has appointed three members to the Sulphur River Basin Authority Board of Directors. The board handles construction, maintenance and operations of the Sulphur River and its tributaries in the state and watershed.

Named to the panel are Wally Kraft of Paris is a veterinarian and owner of the Animal Health Center, Michael Russell of Clarksville is owner and operator of Cuthand Creek Cattle Company and Patricia Wommack of Lone Star is retired from the U.S. Department of Defense. Kraft was appointed for a term to expire February 1, 2013 while the others were reappointed for a term to expire February 1, 2017.

These appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.

TYLER — Tyler ISD trustees took care of a variety of business at a special Tuesday meeting. The Board of Trustees approved the canvass of votes from the May 1 trustee election as presented, proclaiming Orenthia Mason as trustee for Single Member District 2 and Shirley Jordan as trustee for Single Member District 4. The newly elected trustees took the oath of office and will each serve a three-year term. Trustees also approved Michelle Carr, Single Member District 6, as the Board President, and Mason as the Board Vice President. They will serve in these positions for one year.

The Board of Trustees also gave the green light to two new principals. Joanne Saul was authorized and approved as principal of Dixie Elementary School. Mrs. Saul has 14 years of education experience. She has been the interim principal of Dixie since January. Prior to joining Tyler ISD, Saul worked in Alief ISD where she was an assistant principal, a technology and science specialist, and a fourth grade teacher.

Misti Rasure was authorized and approved as Boulter Middle School principal. Mrs. Rasure has 15 years of education experience with almost 10 years in Tyler ISD. She has been the interim principal since March at Boulter, where she was previously the assistant principal of instruction. Rasure was also at Moore Middle School as an instructional specialist, a math department head and teacher, and summer school principal. Both principals begin their new positions immediately.

EAST TEXAS — Tyler and Longview officers are once again participating in the Click It or Ticket enforcement program, which targets seat belt and child safety restraint violators. The current program began Monday and continues through June 5. Texas law requires every person sitting in the front or rear seat of a vehicle to wear a safety belt. A child less than eight years old and less than four feet, nine inches tall must be secured in a child safety seat. Drivers can be stopped and ticketed for a safety belt violation if they, or any of their passengers under the age of 15, are not buckled up or properly restrained. Traffic fines for failing to use a seat belt or secure a child in a safety seat can run from $25 to $200, plus court costs.

TYLER — Smith County law enforcement agencies will be out in force during the Memorial Day holiday, this Friday through Sunday — and they won’t be taking “no” for an answer. A multi-joint effort between the District Attorney’s Office and police agencies from all over the county will participate in the ‘No-Refusal’ DWI Campaign once again. Upon the arrest of a suspected drunk driver, he or she will be asked to blow into a breath-test machine or take a blood test. If the driver refuses, officers will obtain an immediate search warrant signed by a judge on call to have blood drawn by a nurse on staff at the Smith County Jail. The blood is then analyzed to determine whether the driver’s blood-alcohol concentration is 0.08 or higher, the legal limit for driving in Texas.

Authorities say the program has proven to be an effective tool to combat drunken drivers. According to law officers, it is the intent of all law enforcement agencies that this effort will act as a deterrent, persuading people to avoid driving while intoxicated because they know that police officers will be conducting sobriety testing with or without driver’s consent.

LUFKIN — Lufkin Police Department Detectives have concluded their nine-month investigation into the August 29, 2010 deaths of two local residents. Around 7:30 that morning, officers were called to a house on the 300 block of Davis Street following a report of a man and woman bleeding in the front yard. When officers arrived on scene, they found the body of Brianna Shaw, 23, on the front porch of the residence and the body of Artha Griffin, 64, on the ground next to the porch. Each victim was dead and had suffered a gunshot wound to the head.

Evidence found at the scene indicated that Artha Griffin shot Brianna Shaw and then shot himself, but the gun was missing from the scene. Detectives did not find the gun used in this incident, delaying the investigation results, according to police. Authorities say all available evidence proved the deaths to be a murder-suicide and showed that a third party removed the gun from the scene. Detectives believe they have identified the person responsible for removing the gun from the scene following the deaths, but they say they have not developed enough probable cause to charge that person with a crime. The Lufkin Police Department says it will not release the name of this person because a criminal charge is not pending.

LONGVIEW — A weekend burglary causes one East Texas daycare to shut down for a day. It happened at the Kids Connection Preschool on the 200 block of Pine Tree Road in Longview. Officials tell KETK sometime between Friday night and Monday morning, someone broke a window and ransacked the place. The owners declined to comment on camera, but said nothing like this has ever happened in the 15 years they’ve been open. Longview police say they’re surprised this happened to a day care. If you have any information on this case, you’re asked to call police right away.

LINDALE — A Hawkins teen was killed Sunday morning in a one-vehicle crash after his vehicle left the roadway and struck a tree. According to Department of Public Safety officials, Jonathon Scott Tutor, 18, was traveling southbound on FM 14, about five miles east of Lindale, at around 3:34 when his vehicle left the roadway and hit a tree. Tutor was pronounced dead at the scene. He was not wearing a seatbelt.

TYLER — TxDOT maintenance crews are performing pavement-texturing operations on Spur 147 (Gentry Parkway) in and around the roadway’s intersections with Glenwood, Palace and Beckham. Gentry and Glenwood in that area will be closed from 8:30 this morning until noon. This follows yesterday’s closure from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. Motorists are encouraged to seek alternate routes to avoid delays.

TYLER — The trial date for former Bullard police officer Steven Wayne Morris, 27, accused of sexual assault of a child, was rescheduled Monday due to a request for a continuance from Morris’ attorney. Morris’ case will go to trial June 20 at 10:00 at the Smith County Courthouse. If convicted of the second-degree felony, Morris could face 20 years in prison and a fine up to $10,000.

Morris, of Jacksonville, was arrested by Texas Ranger Sgt. Brent Davis on Aug. 19, 2010. On Sept. 9, 2010, Morris was released from the Smith County Jail on a $100,000 bond. Morris was indicted on March 10, 2011. Morris allegedly had a year-long sexual relationship with a female student at Bullard High School, said Bullard Police Chief Gary Lewis. When the relationship began, the student was 15 years old, Lewis said. After seeing Morris’ phone records, Lewis terminated Morris, who had been employed by the Bullard Police Department for two years.