A former NFL tight end was convicted Tuesday in Florida federal court for orchestrating what prosecutors described as a sprawling NFL Player $200M Medicare Fraud Scheme, siphoning nearly $200 million from Medicare and a health care program serving disabled veterans’ families through fraudulent orthotic brace orders.
The verdict against Joel Rufus French, returned in the Middle District of Florida, marks a dramatic fall for the onetime professional athlete, now facing the prospect of decades behind bars.
Jury Finds French Guilty on Three Counts
According to the jury verdict form, French was found guilty of:
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Conspiracy to defraud the United States
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Conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud
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Conspiracy to commit money laundering
The U.S. Department of Justice said trial evidence showed that French and his co-conspirators billed Medicare for orthotic braces that patients neither needed nor requested — including claims tied to deceased beneficiaries.
Targeting the Vulnerable
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said French preyed on some of the nation’s most defenseless citizens.
“French targeted seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia and billed Medicare for orthotic braces for deceased patients and amputees,” Duva said in a statement.
“These schemes undermine the integrity of our health care system by robbing taxpayer-funded programs meant for legitimate medical care,” he added.
Prosecutors said the scheme also defrauded the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, which provides coverage to spouses and children of veterans who were permanently and totally disabled due to service-connected injuries or who died as a result of such disabilities.
