A federal court in Florida has convicted Joel Rufus French, 47, for his leadership role in a massive health care fraud scheme that billed nearly $200 million to federal programs, the U.S. Department of Justice announced.
French, a resident of Amory, Mississippi, and a former college football standout in the SEC, was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. The multi-year operation targeted Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) by billing for unnecessary or non-existent medical equipment.
According to evidence presented at trial, French coordinated with overseas call centers to pressure elderly Americans into providing personal insurance information. In some instances, the call centers altered recordings to make it appear as though patients had consented to receive products, such as orthotic braces, when they had not.
The scheme was described by officials as particularly predatory, targeting vulnerable populations including seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia. Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division characterized the conduct as “egregious,” noting that French submitted claims for orthotic braces for deceased patients and even amputees for limbs they no longer possessed.
The fraudulent operation also involved paying telemedicine companies to produce signed medical orders from doctors or nurse practitioners who never examined the patients. These orders were then sold to medical supply companies and marketers to secure reimbursements from federal health programs.
“Today’s verdict sends a clear message: the Criminal Division will aggressively prosecute those who prey on our nation’s seniors and veterans to steal from Medicare,” said Duva. David Spilker, Special Agent in Charge with the VA Office of Inspector General, added that the verdict holds the defendant accountable for exploiting a program meant for “deserving veterans and their families.”
The case was investigated as part of the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which has charged more than 6,200 defendants since 2007 for collectively billing federal health care programs over $45 billion. French, who once had aspirations for the NFL, now faces sentencing for his role in the conspiracy.