Oregon Medicaid Fraud? What we know
Five key facts from our exclusive coverage of Uplifting Journey, the Oregon company with ties to indicted fraudsters & that housed alleged gangsters while receiving $2.3M in Medicaid reimbursements
Social media photos of Julius Maximo, co-owner of Uplifting Journey
Here at Oregon Roundup Foundation, we’ve been reporting on Oregon Medicaid provider Uplifting Journey LLC and related companies since August. We’ve reported new facts as we became aware of them via public records requests, site visits, interviews and internal state agency emails.
I believe we’ve uncovered Today, I’ll summarize the key facts as I know them, as follows:
What is Uplifting Journey LLC;
Uplifting Journey’s three connections to alleged and indicted $60 Million Arizona Medicaid fraud ring;
Uplifting Journey treatment home allegedly housed two illegal immigrant Tren de Aragua gang members who allegedly attempted to murder a Washington woman;
Uplifting Journey’s office was closed and largely vacant during business hours;
Oregon agency response to our reporting.
If you’re on Twitter/X, check out my interactive “Spaces” audio session at 10 am Pacific today during which we’ll discuss this story.
What is Uplifting Journey LLC?
Uplifting Journey is an Oregon limited liability company first registered November 8, 2023 by two members/owners, Julius Maximo and Espoir Ntezeyombi. On December 14, 2023, Ntezeyombi signed a Provider Enrollment Agreement with Oregon Health Authority to receive reimbursements for outpatient substance abuse treatment from the state’s Medicaid program, called the Oregon Health Plan.
The website for Uplifting Journey says the company provides “compassionate” group and individual therapy “in a nurturing environment.”
Beginning April 15, 2024 and ending March 14, 2025, Oregon Health Authority reimbursed Uplifting Journey a total of $2,317,496.20 in Medicaid funds for “Alcohol And/Or Drug Services,” according to OHA records.
A March 11, 2024, post in the Living in Lake Oswego, Oregon Facebook group welcomed Julius Maximo as one of the group’s “new members who have joined in the past week!” The post links to the profile of a Julius Maximo.
Uplifting Journey has three known ties to indicted $60 million Arizona Medicaid fraud ring
In April, Arizona Attorney General Kristin Mayes (D) charged Medicaid provider Happy House Behavioral Health LLC and its owners, Desire Rusingizwa and Fabrice Mvuyekure of defrauding Arizona’s Medicaid agency of $60 million by obtaining reimbursements for deceased clients, incarcerated clients and on other fraudulent bases.
In the same indictment, Mayes charged Theodore Mucuryana multiple counts of Money Laundering for allegedly receiving payments in amounts up to $5 million from Happy House Behavioral Health. Mucuranyana is the pastor of Hope of Life International Church of Phoenix, Arizona.
On its website, Hope of Life International Church describes its mission “to bring hope for lost souls, especially to those of East African descent.” Mayes alleges the church wired $2 million of the Medicaid fraud proceeds to “an entity in Rwanda” in December 2023.
Uplifting Journey, the Oregon company, has three known connections with the alleged Arizona fraud ring:
Mucuranyana co-signed with Uplifting Journey’s Maximo on a lease for a residential treatment facility in Gresham, Oregon in November 2024.
Signatures from a lease agreement, provided by the landlord to Oregon Roundup Foundation.
2. Uplifting Journey’s co-owner’s LinkedIn page says he works for Arizona company owned by indicted Arizona alleged fraudster.
Uplifting Journey’s co-owner Espoir Ntezeyombi’s LinkedIn page says he works as a behavioral health technician for Uplifting Care LLC of Arizona. According to Arizona business records, Uplifting Care LLC’s statutory agent - the person designated by the company to receive service of process on behalf of the company - is Desire Rusingizwa, who is the indicted co-owner of indicted Happy House Behavioral Health.
3. The Glendale, Arizona address for the members of Uplifting Care LLC matches an address Uplifting Journey provided to its Gresham landlord for Mucuranyana.
One member/owner of Uplifting Care LLC, Fred Ndungutse, was the point of contact for Uplifting Journey’s Gresham landlord’s communications regarding Mucuranyana’s co-signing the Uplifting Journey lease, according to an email obtained by Oregon Roundup Foundation.
Tren de Oswego
Until approximately April 1, 2025, Uplifting Journey operated a residential treatment facility in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Washington prosecutors allege two men who lived in the house in January travelled to the Seattle area and robbed and kidnapped a woman, used a power drill on her hand to obtain her ATM PIN, and shot and left her for dead alongside a rural highway.
Federal immigration authorities allege the two men, one of whom remains on the loose, are illegal immigrants from Venezuela, and are members of the Tren de Aragua drug and human trafficking gang, as reported by The Post Millenial. The Post Millenial also reported Lake Oswego police made some 17 visits to the house. Police records obtained by The Post Millenial show a man named “Julius” interacted with police on behalf of Uplifting Journey.
Neighbors told me they also interacted with “Julius,” and ambulances came to the Uplifting Journey house on several occasions, and both men and women came and went from the house frequently. Neighbors complained of women screaming from the back yard of the house.
Uplifting Journey’s closed and vacant office
Uplifting Journey’s Provider Enrollment Agreement with OHA said the business was located at an address in Portland, Oregon. On August 20, I visited the office, which was closed during stated business hours and appeared vacant except for several stored mattresses and large black trash bags. My repeated calls to Uplifting Journey at the available phone numbers have gone unanswered.
A sign taped to the door of the Uplifting Journey office in Portland on August 20.
“Shell-game like” business entities
On May 27, 2025, an Oregon Health Authority contracts manager alerted other senior OHA officials about a constellation of businesses related to and including Uplifting Journey, calling them “shell game-like entities” he found “confusing, circuitous and worthy of scrutiny,” according to emails obtained exclusively by Oregon Roundup Foundation.
Oregon Health Authority records show at least one of the entities identified by Dugger also obtained Medicaid reimbursements.
Oregon won’t say what, if anything, it’s doing about Uplifting Journey
In August, when Oregon Roundup Foundation first inquired with OHA for a comment on its report of Uplifting Journey, its spokesperson responded with general information about Medicaid fraud and two cautionary notes:
“Everyone has a right to seek care. It’s enshrined in state law and in OHA’s values that people should not be discriminated against for seeking health care.”
“It’s also worth noting that the actions of an indivudal who may have received care through a facility does not reflect on the hospital or organization.”
State Representative Ed Diehl in September demanded the Oregon Department of Justice and federal agencies investigate possible Medicaid fraud by Uplifting Journey and related individuals and businesses based upon Oregon Roundup Foundation’s reporting. Diehl told Oregon Roundup Foundation he has received no response from Oregon DOJ.
OHA and Oregon DOJ have declined to comment on whether they are investigating Uplifting Journey.
Oregon Roundup Foundation created this article. ORF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to covering Oregon political and government news. Media outlets are welcome to use this article for free with attribution of the author and Oregon Roundup Foundation.