A Kent man who used stolen identities of licensed nurses to send unqualified workers into Washington care facilities has been sentenced to more than 14 years in prison, according to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General.
The sentencing follows a May 28 jury verdict finding David Mungai Njenga guilty on all 11 counts in what officials described as the first Medicaid fraud trial in Washington to involve the charge of leading organized crime.
Prosecutors said Njenga ran a sham nurse staffing agency, Heritage Medical Staffing Inc., based in Kent, which was later renamed Pro Med Alliance Medical Staffing, Inc. Through the business, he used stolen identities and credentials of real nurses to place unlicensed, untrained workers in long-term care facilities in Yakima, Bothell, Redmond, Shoreline, Vashon Island, North Bend, and elsewhere.
At sentencing, a nurse whose identity was stolen by Njenga described the personal and professional toll of the scheme in a statement read in court.
“My nursing license is more than a credential — it represents trust, accountability, and a solemn promise to protect human life. That trust was taken from me,” the nurse said. “Justice in this case cannot erase what happened. It cannot eliminate the fear, anxiety, and professional harm caused by these crimes, or undo the risks imposed on vulnerable patients. But it can affirm that health care fraud, identity theft, and the deliberate endangerment of human lives carry serious consequences.”
Medicaid fraud scheme traced back to 2019 Pierce County investigation
Njenga tricked facilities into paying for what they believed were licensed nurses, according to prosecutors. Instead, he kept most of the proceeds and paid the impostor workers significantly less, according to investigators.
Authorities said the scheme put patients at risk. Some of the workers lacked basic medical knowledge, including how to correctly take blood pressure. In some cases, they administered the wrong medications.
The case stemmed from a broader investigation that began in 2019 after Pierce County prosecutors charged a woman accused of posing as a nurse using fake identification. Investigators later tied her to Njenga’s operation, uncovering the wider fraud scheme.
“This verdict is the result of our team’s commitment to cracking down on Medicaid fraud and ensuring the safety of our health system,” Attorney General Nick Brown said in a statement.
Njenga was sentenced Tuesday in King County Superior Court to 173 months in prison, followed by 18 months of community custody. Restitution will be determined at a later hearing.
A co-defendant, Everlyn Njuki, was not part of the trial and has left the country. A court has issued a bench warrant for her arrest.
This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Read more of Aaron Granillo’s stories here.