US fugitive arrested in Canada
TORONTO (AP) - An American fugitive convicted in a $1-million health-care fraud scheme in California has been arrested in Canada.
Toronto police say they arrested Leonard Nwafor on an extradition warrant at his Toronto residence Wednesday.
Nwafor was convicted on two counts related to health-care fraud for submitting false claims to Medicare through his Los Angeles-based company in 2008. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, most of the claims were for wheelchairs not required by patients.
Nwafor fled California after the conviction. He was sentenced in absentia to nine years in prison and ordered to pay more than $500,000 in restitution and $25,000 in fines.
He was also ordered to forfeit more than $500,000 in stolen funds to the U.S. government.
Authorities believe he had been living in Canada since he fled.