HOUSTON, Texas– A federal grand jury in Houston indicted a former nurse on charges of falsifying records related to a patient’s death at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Christiana Ogbonnaya, 54, allegedly entered false information into the hospital’s computerized patient records, claiming she performed multiple checks on a patient during her overnight shift. The patient was later found unresponsive.
The indictment, announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas on June 11, accuses Ogbonnaya of making false claims about patient checks that did not occur. The discrepancies were discovered during an internal investigation at the hospital.
The Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General led the investigation, which revealed inconsistencies in Ogbonnaya’s shift records. As a result, Ogbonnaya has been removed from her position at the medical center.
Ogbonnaya is set to appear in federal court for her arraignment. If convicted, she could face legal penalties.