A former NFL player has been sentenced to more than 16 years in federal prison after authorities said he played a major role in a massive healthcare fraud scheme that targeted elderly Americans and military veterans while costing federal programs nearly $200 million.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 47-year-old Joel Rufus French of Amory, Mississippi, was sentenced to 196 months in prison for operating a yearslong fraud operation involving unnecessary orthotic braces billed through Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, commonly known as CHAMPVA.
French previously played professional football and spent time with the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers during his football career. Before reaching the NFL, he was also an All-American tight end at University of Mississippi.
Federal prosecutors said French owned a marketing company and controlled eight durable medical equipment companies that were used to carry out the fraud scheme. Investigators said the operation centered around obtaining personal information and fraudulent doctors’ orders for orthopedic braces that patients either did not want or medically did not need.
According to court documents, French worked with overseas telemarketing call centers that contacted elderly patients and pressured them into providing personal details and health insurance information. Prosecutors said many victims were led to believe they qualified for free or medically necessary braces even though legitimate medical evaluations had not taken place.
Authorities said the telemarketing operations sometimes altered audio recordings to falsely make it appear patients had agreed to receive the braces. The DOJ stated that fraudulent doctors’ orders were then obtained through sham telemedicine companies and sold to marketers and medical supply businesses that submitted false reimbursement claims to federal healthcare programs.
Investigators estimated the scheme generated approximately $197 million to $200 million in fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare and CHAMPVA. Prosecutors said the operation preyed heavily on senior citizens and disabled military veterans.
French was convicted earlier this year on multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and violations involving illegal kickbacks.
As part of the sentence, French was also ordered to pay more than $110 million in restitution and forfeit millions of dollars in seized assets connected to the fraud investigation. Authorities said approximately $17 million in assets tied to the scheme had already been seized by investigators.
Federal officials strongly condemned the fraud operation, saying it exploited vulnerable people and drained taxpayer-funded healthcare programs intended to help individuals who genuinely needed medical assistance. Prosecutors said the case represents one of the larger healthcare fraud schemes involving unnecessary medical equipment uncovered in recent years.
The Department of Justice said the investigation involved multiple federal agencies working together to uncover the operation and track the flow of money connected to the scheme. Officials stated healthcare fraud investigations remain a major priority because fraudulent billing schemes continue costing taxpayers billions of dollars nationwide each year.
Source: Fox10 Phoenix
