Fil-Am Nurse Accused of Funding Lavish Lifestyle Through P55-Billion Fraud Scheme

On June 18, Filipino-American nurse Marizel Yukee was indicted in Houston, Texas, for her alleged involvement in a massive healthcare fraud scheme. Authorities claim that millions of dollars in illicit proceeds were used to fund a lavish lifestyle.

Originally from Cagayan, Marizel is now a resident of Las Vegas. She is a registered nurse licensed in Nevada and an enrolled Medicare provider. According to the indictment, she owns and operates a network of “Yukee clinics,” including Wound Medic, My BestHealth First, AllCare Mobile Wound Treatment, and Oracle Wound Treatment, which operate across Texas, Nevada, California, and Hawaii.

Federal prosecutors allege that Marizel and her co-conspirators paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to healthcare providers, officers, employees, and agents in exchange for referring Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries to the clinics. They then allegedly submitted false and fraudulent claims for items and services that were “medically unreasonable and unnecessary, ineligible for reimbursement, and procured through illegal kickbacks,” according to the indictment.

Prosecutors further allege that Marizel targeted elderly beneficiaries, including terminally ill hospice patients. Between October 2023 and April 2026, she allegedly submitted more than $906 million (over P55 billion) in claims to Medicare and TRICARE for medically unnecessary allografts and related services. The indictment also claims that she failed to report the required “total invoice price” for the allografts and directed employees to inflate prices, resulting in an average billing of more than $1 million per patient. As a result, Medicare and TRICARE allegedly paid out more than $297 million (approximately P18.2 billion) based on those claims.

Investigators allege that the proceeds from the scheme were used to finance Marizel's lavish lifestyle. Court documents state that she purchased several luxury vehicles, including a Ferrari 296 GTS valued at approximately $594,000 (P36.4 million) and a Cadillac Escalade valued at approximately $158,000 (P9.7 million). She also allegedly owns a Bvlgari necklace worth $865,000 (P53 million).

According to investigators, Marizel also used the funds to acquire real estate assets, including a multimillion-dollar home in Hawaii, and to construct a $4.6 million (P281.9 million) beach resort in Cagayan.