HOUSTON – A former nurse at the Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center in Houston has been arrested following an indictment for creating false government records, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced.
Christiana Ogbonnaya, 54, of Richmond, was indicted on May 7.
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The indictment alleges Ogbonnaya was on-duty as a nurse at the Houston VA Medical Center from July 26-27, 2024. During that time, Ogbonnaya allegedly made false entries in the VA’s Computerized Patient Record System claiming she had observed a male patient on several occasions during her shift. However, the charges allege she did not have any contact with him at those times.
The indictment said Ogbonnaya was in charge of checking on three patients that night, one of which included the man who died. According to the indictment, the patient was found unresponsive at approximately 4:39 a.m. on July 27, 2024. He was seated next to his hospital bed with a phone charging cable wrapped around his neck and a compression sock in his mouth.
Shortly afterwards, at 5:05 a.m., the man was pronounced dead.
If convicted, Ogbonnaya faces up to five years in prison and a possible $250,000 maximum fine.