Two Philly VA employees face charges of identity fraud

A nurse and a respiratory therapist at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center are awaiting trial next month in an alleged conspiracy to commit identity fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The charges against respiratory therapist George Oyakhire - who allegedly assumed the false identity of Oliver Oyakhire to obtain a valid Social Security number - and registered nurse Leatha O. Taylor do not involve their work at the Veterans Affairs hospital, according to their lawyers and a government official.

In an indictment filed on Oct. 6, the government charges that Oyakhire created a false identity using the name Oliver in 1984 when he entered the United States from Nigeria. He became a lawful permanent resident in 1990 and six years later a naturalized citizen under the name Oliver Oyakhire.

The indictment further alleges that in June 2007, Oyakhire sought to change the Social Security number on his transcript at New Jersey City University and that Taylor, posing as an employee of the Social Security Administration, signed a letter to the school to further that effort.

"He has been an employee of the VA for over 12 years and, as far as I know, has no blemishes on his record there," said Oyakhire's lawyer, Jonathan J. Sobel.

Taylor's lawyer, Randolph L. Goldman, said, "We deny that she tried to defraud the government."

Both Oyakhire and Taylor pleaded not guilty. A tentative trial date of Nov. 19 has been set.