Two women have been indicted on charges of health care fraud and related offenses after allegedly providing unauthorized medical services at a New Jersey health center, according to an announcement from Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, the Division of Criminal Justice (DCJ), and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor (OIFP).
Esney Davis-Sharpe, 63, of East Orange, New Jersey, who owned Bessie Mae Women’s Health Center, and Nataliya Lushchak, 48, of Lower Gwynedd, Pennsylvania, face charges including conspiracy to commit health care claims fraud, unlicensed practice of medicine, health care claims fraud, and Medicaid fraud. Both are accused of performing medical procedures without proper licenses.
“This case alleges a deliberate abuse of the Medicaid system and a betrayal of patient trust,” said Acting Attorney General Davenport. “Submitting claims for medical services performed by unlicensed individuals undermines the integrity of Medicaid and diverts critical resources from those who rely on the program. OIFP will continue to hold accountable those who abuse the Medicaid program and place patients at risk.”
DCJ Director Theresa L. Hilton commented on interagency cooperation: “This case shows the importance of state agencies working together to respond to reports of allegedly illegal activity and root it out. Thousands of claims were allegedly submitted to Medicaid for reimbursement to which these defendants are not entitled. Health care fraud endangers the public and wastes limited public resources.”
Acting Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Al Garcia added: “Medicaid provides a vital health care safety net, and anyone who files fraudulent claims leads to all of us paying more to run that system. Our medical licensing regime is created to ensure that health care providers are properly educated and trained to provide needed health care services. Performing services without holding the proper licenses presents a risk to patients that we will not allow.”
The investigation began in August 2023 when the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs referred concerns about unlicensed medical practice at Bessie Mae Women’s Health Center in East Orange. The facility offered obstetrics/gynecology as well as primary and family care but was operated by Davis-Sharpe without a valid medical license.
Davis-Sharpe is alleged to have hired Lushchak as a practitioner in May 2021; neither held licenses to practice medicine in New Jersey but reportedly performed gynecological procedures on patients.
From December 2020 through February 2024, about 2,500 reimbursement claims were submitted from Bessie Mae Women’s Health Center to New Jersey’s Medicaid Program using names of two doctors—identified only as “Dr. N.J.” and “Dr. K.R.”—without their consent or knowledge.
On January 25, 2024, state authorities issued a cease-and-desist order requiring Davis-Sharpe’s clinic to stop providing all services.
Lushchak is reported as being enrolled as a medical student at Suburban Community Hospital in Norristown, Pennsylvania.
The prosecution team includes Deputy Attorneys General Sean O’Connor and Lauren Aranguren for OIFP-Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), supervised by Assistant Bureau Chief Michael Klein and Bureau Chief Heather Hadley. Detectives Regina Strugala and Chantel Blake led the investigation under Sgt. Laura Parisi’s supervision.
Second-degree charges may result in five to ten years’ imprisonment with fines up to $150,000; third-degree charges carry three-to-five-year sentences with fines up to $15,000.
Authorities emphasized that these allegations remain accusations until proven otherwise in court.
New Jersey MFCU’s funding for federal fiscal year 2026 totals $11.60 million; three-quarters comes from federal grants via the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services while one-quarter is provided by state funds.
