Cameroonian Man Admits to Stealing Medication Intended for the Poor

By Maria Glod (originally published in the Washington Post)

A Maryland man admitted Monday in federal court that he stole medication intended for poor people in Africa and sold them for a profit.

Joseph Egbe, 44, of Gwynn Oak is the owner of e-Meditech, a charitable group that had a contract with the Catholic Medical Mission Board to distribute the drugs. Egbe made more than $10,000 by selling some of them to a Baltimore pharmacist, who then repackaged and resold them, federal authorities said.

Egbe pleaded guilty to misbranding of pharmaceuticals in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. His attorney, William E. Tabot, could not immediately be reached to comment.

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The drugs Egbe sold included those used to treat the common cough as well as medications used for patients with breast cancer, stomach ulcers and diabetes. The drugs had been donated to the Catholic charity and were supposed to be sent to Cameroon.

Officials with the Catholic Medical Mission Board, which is headquartered in New York and has an office in the District, said they have been working with the Department of Justice and the Food and Drug Administration since May 2008 on the investigation. The group receives millions of dollars worth of donations from pharmaceutical and medical supply companies and sends them to impoverished areas in dozens of countries.

"We send a lot of medication, but even one bottle that doesn't end up where we had intended it to is distressing to us," said Barbara Wright, a spokeswoman for the board. "There are so many personal stories attached to the medicine we deliver. It's never-ending."
Wright recalled a trip she made to a clinic in Honduras. She said the doctors and nurses told her that few people went there because there was no medicine to treat them. However, when a woman arrived and said her baby's "chest was on fire," the clinic was able to treat the child for pneumonia.

According to court documents, Egbe orchestrated a scheme with Pamela Arrey, a Maryland pharmacist who opened and operated two Medicine Shoppe pharmacies in Baltimore.
Between 2005 and 2008, authorities said, Egbe took some shipments of the donated drugs, attached labels with false expiration dates to them and sold them to Arrey. Arrey wrote several checks to Egbe totaling more than $10,000.

Arrey has been indicted on charges including health-care fraud, conspiracy to misbrand drugs and sell donated drugs, and aggravated identity theft. They are pending in federal court.

Comments

[Abakwaboy]

This Pays people them no go leave this Paul Biya hi handwork even for AKATA. Thief Thief and finally Thief. After them finish their prison term wouna send them back for Kondengui

[The Entrepreneur Newsoline]

These are people who were misled by African education, that a certificate is a meal ticket. All of a sudden, they have certificates but cannot take care of themselves, they get confused and in desperation they engage in crimes, to measure up, some sort of. There are loose estimates that 60% of Cameroonians abroad are fraudsters........in diverse forms...hardcore and soft criminals....Now they blame Paul Biya even in America....Chinese people come to America and make it....why not black Africans....& Cameroonians....

[kamarad]

Agbor Ekinneh, The Entrepreneur Newsonline and Emmanuel Konde.
The Regime Strikes Back!

[Bob Bristol]

Dipoko, every human being is just another human being. What we condemn outrightly against the French system in Cameroon is that it condones, it promotes, it creates fertile environments for unwarranted behaviours such as the case in point. And do not forget that Southern Cameroonians in particular and Cameroonians in general have developed survival strategies within the past decade in order not to face extinction. I am not in giving a push to what Egbe has committed. Let him face the charge.

[Alain Dipoko,Yabassi Boy]

Bob Bristol, you told some good truth there even though not entirely. We do not condone fraud and moral decadence. If we did, francophones would be the flag bearers of feymania. For Anglophones to avoid indulging in this unsavory behavior, they should join the CPDM and recant their incendiary diatribes toward the government of the day. We sincerely do not want the Anglos to behave like those locusts of Nigeria.

Would you join our great party? If yes, contact me on this e-mail: rdpcpdm84@yahoo.com. I shall mail party literature to you to thoroughly orientate you towards the virtues of patriotism.

[KT man]

I sincerely hope you're not bundling all anglophones as thieves. Not all. Those who have learned this trade learned it from their forced associations with francophones every where, whether in cameroon or some where else. Tell me which francophone country is free from this cancer. It's worse in France it self, serious in yaounde, abidjan, oh I almost forgot Libreville. So, be careful not to bundle all anglophones as thieves. Those who fight with the sword usually die with it.

[Danny boy]

Alain Dipoko,
I find your postings quite interesting. Can you tell the forum these;
When you came to the UK,
Where you studied;
and when you worked at the High Commission.

Some of us are "doyens" on this Island, living in London, and it is but natural that we missed you at the High Commission when we visited!!
Tea break or day off?
Waiting for your response. Man no run!

[Enongene]

I am sure Mr Francois Ngoubene(alleged embezzler) is an Anglophone too, by 'Prof-Dr squared' Alain Dipoko's analysis? The Chief thief, Biya and all his accomplices in and out of Kondengui are all anglophones?

Sadly enough 'Prof Dr-squared' is the lone Phd whose name is hard to find or non existent in Google archives, except when it concerns his comments on 'Up Station Mountain Club'. That is his own publisher. You are becoming excited with the apparent popularity 'Up Station Mountain Club' is giving you. Maybe his myopic opinions on Anglophones are his thesis. Dipoko, I challenge you to unveil. Introduce yourself and cite your scholarship if you have any.

Embezzlement at Cameroon Embassy in USA

Mr. François Ngoubene
Percepteur
9001 Gettysburg Lane
College Park , MD 20740

Dear Mr. Ngoubene,

It has been brought to our attention that you and your family have been involved with squandering an exorbitant amount of money and resources from the Cameroon government and its taxpayers. Over the years since you were assigned to the Cameroon Embassy in Washington , DC , your embezzlement of public funds has been enormous. This was made possible by the huge payments for unrelated official expenses like the following:

a) Life and medical insurance for your family and your girl friend, Ms. Angeli Abitangbina from WAMSI Life and Health in the monthly amount of $8,402.08.
b) Monthly mortgage payments for your home, $4,061.73 and that of your concubine $761.59 both withdrawn from the Embassy of Cameroon’s account with Sun Trust Bank.
c) Tuition and other ineligible expenses for your children who attended Georgetown University .
d) Money laundering for Cameroonian officials and others, a very serious “criminal offense”.
e) Purchasing and building of homes in the United States and Cameroon for you and your above named concubine.

Your withdrawal of money from the Embassy’s accounts for your PERSONAL use and that of your family, concubine and friends in just 2007 alone, amounted to over US$1 million dollars. We have verifications for documents from Citibank and Eagle Bank to substantiate and defend our accusations.

Could you explain why the bank account of the Cameroon Embassy has your home address and not that of the Embassy on 2349 Massachusetts Avenue? In our research, there is evidence to prove that no other diplomatic representation in Washington, DC , except Cameroon , has an employee using his home address for official and business accounts. Is this why the Cameroon Embassy’s accounts with local banks were closed for illegal activities? Can you also justify having seven (7) cars registered in your name and those of your family members with the US State Department with diplomatic licenses.

You have been engaged in these dishonorable practices since you transferred from Belgium to the United States with impunity claiming that you are “untouchable” because of your connections with some government officials in Cameroon . Please note that these illegal activities have not gone unnoticed. They have indeed been documented and reported to both the governments of the United States and Cameroon .

Below is an example of some of your monthly expenditures out of the Embassy of Cameroon’s account:

1) Check # 5178 to your wife, Therese Ngoubene US$ 5,000.00
2) Check # 5000 to your daughter, Caroline US$ 5,000.00
3) Check # 5176 to your son, Dany US$ 3,738.83
4) Checks # 5179, 5168 & 4126 to your driver, Assoua Jean
($5,000 each) US$15,000.00
5) Checks # 5170 & 5173 to your friend, Metuk Charles US$10,000.00
6) Check # 5170 to your Adm. Asst., Mbassa Patience US$ 5,000.00

As for your concubine, Ms. Abitangbina Angeli, you can recall that in 2007, she received among other checks, the amount of US$40,000 for home leave to Cameroon which was deemed unacceptable by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The following monthly checks, #5188: US$3,194.44; # 5087: US$3,028.74 & #5207: US$4,352.00 were also issued to her.

Please be informed that these illegal activities of yours have been brought to the attention of the Cameroon government and its citizens (taxpayers), and the US government for prosecution. We can no longer be silent especially about the most serious crime of “money laundering” in the United States and other developed countries that are providing donor funds to countries in Africa that people like you and others are misusing to enrich yourselves.

Sincerely,

Concerned Citizens of the Republic of Cameroon

Cc: -H.E. Joseph Bienvenu Foe Atangana, Ambassador of the Republic of Cameroon
-H.E. Henri Eyebe Ayissi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Republic of Cameroon
-H.E. Essimi Menye, Minister of Finance, Republic of Cameroon
-National Committee for fight against Corruption (CONAC) Cameroon
- US Department, Africa Desk
-Cameroon Citizens in the USA

[Ma Mary]

Another Frog con man, Danny Boy.

Our people have been contaminated by prolonged exposure to this kind. The dilapidated condition of our infrastructure, dirty public offices, open sewers, lack of public hygiene, absence of sanitary inspectors, open bribery and rampant corruption were not part of our system. The few Camerounese who came to Buea and Bamenda back in the day were awed by the cleanliness of our streets, the public order, the clean and orderly public offices etc. You always knew the frogs who had come to town. Theirs were the houses with unkempt lawns, no curtains on their windows, overgrown flower beds with dead flowers, broken government furniture in their houses, broken windows, piss on the matresses; wild screaming kids who went around calling people "mbecile" and other obscenities.

Those are the barbarians who came into our towns and cities, initially in a trickle and eventually flooded the place and totally messed everything up.

Now the con man comes to call white black and black white.

Answer Danny Boy's nice question.

[Kene Muna]

Ma Mary,
After reading your comment, I remembered the look on Dads face when my younger sister ask our francophone neighbor when his children are going to get new school uniforms.

Have you been to the Mini cites around UB lately? You will agree with me the amount of garbage surrounding the Mini Cite is directly proportional number of francophone student.

Mr Dipoko can please, give us a date an time or name of program on which you will appear on CNN? I don't agree with you on many issue but I will be watching CNN just because of you. Is that not the beauty of freedom?

[Ma Mary]

Take a look:

http://www.dibussi.com/cameroon_corruption/

One person left out is Paul Biya himself, who openly steals without accountability just like his predecessor.

Corruption occurred in Southern Cameroons, but it was a prosecuted crime, so there was NEVER any open bribing of officials, and frequent sting operations, which kept the weak characters straight.

La republique introduced the culture of impunity, in which people with power could do anything they pleased without consequences. Then, the weak characters, even in the Southern Cameroons began to take advantage of the situation.

[Paa Ngembus]

Mapouka Dipoka,

Did you not say you were leaving this blog.

Froggie just go away.

This blog is not for arrogant obnoxious frogs.

Just leave Bozo.

Paa Ngembus

[Paa Ngembus]

Mapouka,

The fact that your posting was allowed shows you are a liar.

You think this is La Repoublique.

I have not experienced any censorship here since this blog stopped posting Cameroon Post articles.

Like every Frog under La Republique's pay, you always hallucinate about being in control and being controlled.

This is the internet Bozo.

The only thing you may be required to do is open a TypePad account which you should already have if you are the internet Guru you calim to be, because you should be using that in other blogs.

IGNORANT IDIOTIC LIAR.

Go home Froggie Boy.

[Danny Boy]

Alain Dipoko,
you failed to answer my simple questions and went on to ramble about your appearance on CNN in the distant future!
You did not really live, study and work here at the High Commission. Did you? Talking of euphemisms, can I say you have been, "economical with the truth". Do you understand what that means?
It means you are a bare-faced liar. In the past 30 years I know those who have studied here in the UK and have worked at the High Commission! Not many I must state!!
Alain Dipoko, if Etoudi employed you to sabotage this community, go tell your handler that you have been found out! In old Russia, you will be sent to Siberia. In Cameroon, there is Kondengui for failed cyber-spies like you!
PhD my foot! You might tempt me to buy a dog and print the letters "Alain Dipoko, PhD" on it's collar! Euphemism!
You are one stupid froggie!

[Bamia Girl]

Mr. Enonguene,

Before you make such discrediting statements, you need to have reliable evidences to back them up! This National Committee for Fight against Corruption (CONAC) is fake and does not exist. The so called anonym members are Ndongo Carlson and wife, Mendouga (Ex-Cameroonian’s ambassador in the US) and wife and Amadou Who still works in the embassy. These defamations are the result of a pure jealousy among these diplomatic individuals that at many occasions tried to get Mr. Ngoubene fired and did not meet their goal because the man’s root in Cameroun was stronger than theirs. Due to their organized mafia ( retaining people who asked for Asylum Passports including those of family members of Cameroon higher authorities, Alteration of money orders for their own expenses, falsification of official document stamps), they were all recalled before the person (Ngoubene) who stood on their ways. Mr. Ndongo Carlson personally took on him to have the job done by fabricating this letter you all read. Mr. Ndongo who was in charge of passports, took money from individuals, raped girl in every corner of Washington before returning their passports. Many of these individuals are ready to come forward when the time comes. Talking about corruption, Mr. Ndongo and ex-ambassador were the most corrupted people in the embassy! Mr. Ndongo instead of using the school allowance to send his children to school, decide to use them toward a Mercedes Benz for himself and a Land Cruiser for his wife, while Mr. Ngoubene was driving a Mitsubishi and used his to send his kids to college. Now that the kids have succeeded and each holding a nice job including a lawyer, who can all afford any cars; these morons are claiming that they were purchased by the government money! Where are Mr. Ndongo’s kids? They all look like people in drugs. All these checks listed as proof were all altered. They were initially issued to these same individuals and their drivers and they altered it to read the name of people close to Mr. Ngoubene. The fact that they were all recalled and their enemy Mr. Ngoubene still there is killing them and they are out carrying this type of crime and bias you all believe it. The Ex- ambassador even stated from his jail location that he is reserving a space for Mr. Ngoubene and sent his wife, ndongo and others to do the job. Again for those that believe in this letter, IT IS A PURE JEALOUSY AND I STRONGER BELIEVE THAT IF THEY FIND AN OPPORTUNITY, THEY WILL EVEN KILL THE GUY. I AM ALSO AND EMBASSY’S EMPLOYEE AND WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON THIS STORY. THE TRUTH WILL COME OUT SOON. THIS ASSOCIATION IS NOT REGISTERED ANYWHERE AND HAS NO CREDIBILITY. THEY SHOULD POST THEIR LOCATION.