NFL Player Ripped Off Taxpayers For Nearly $200 Million
A former NFL player who owned a marketing company will serve more than 16 years in federal prison for bilking Medicare out of nearly $200 million.
This is according to a statement that the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) published Friday.
That man, Joel Rufus French, 47, of Armory, Miss. worked with overseas telemarketing call centers that pressured elderly people to hand over their health insurance information and accept medically unnecessary orthotic braces.
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“French paid sham telemedicine companies kickbacks to obtain signed doctors’ orders from doctors and nurse practitioners who never examined, and often never even spoke to, the patients. He sold the orders to marketers and medical supply companies, which then submitted claims to Medicare,” according to the DOJ.
“French also defrauded Medicare and CHAMPVA [the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs], the health care program for spouses and children of veterans who have or had a permanent and total service-connected disability or who died from a service-connected condition, by billing the programs for orthotic braces through eight DME [Durable Medical Equipment] supply companies that he owned and managed, using straw owners and false documents to hide his connection to the companies from Medicare.”
French also laundered $225,000 from a bank in Mississippi. More than $10,000 was placed in a bag and driven to Orlando to pay accomplices who sold him beneficiaries’ personal and insurance information, the DOJ said.
After a six-day jury trial ending in February, French was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks.
French, according to a 1999 Seattle Times article, caught 35 passes for 386 yards at Ole Miss and was chosen to seven All-America teams. He led Southeastern Conference tight ends in receptions and was a first-team all-SEC selection. He played for the Seattle Seahawks.
Special thanks to Warhammer’s Wife proofreading this story before publication to make certain there were no misspellings, grammatical errors or other embarrassing mistakes and/or typos. Follow Warhammer on Twitter @Real_Warhammer. Also follow Warhammer on TruthSocial at @Real_Warhammer
