Former NFL player Joel Rufus French sentenced to 16 years in prison for nearly $200 million in Medicare fraud

Former Football Player Sentenced to Over 10 Years for Fraud

A former football player is set to serve more than a decade behind bars.

Joel Rufus French received a sentence of 196 months for his role in defrauding Medicare and the private health care programs of the Department of Veterans Affairs, totaling a staggering $197 million. This was announced by the U.S. Department of Justice on a recent Friday.

In addition to his prison term, French is required to pay restitution of over $110 million and forfeit approximately $17 million previously seized by the government from his financial accounts and assets.

The ex-tight end, celebrated as an All-American at Ole Miss in 1998, was found guilty earlier this year after a six-day trial. The charges included conspiracy to commit health care fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering, as well as involvement in kickback schemes.

During the trial, evidence revealed that French operated with a foreign telemarketing center that specifically targeted elderly Americans, persuading them to accept, well, unnecessary braces.

Through these operations, he was able to acquire health insurance and personal details from the victims. Moreover, he allegedly paid kickbacks to misleading telemedicine companies that provided signed prescriptions from doctors who had never even met the patients.

French then sold these prescriptions to marketers and medical suppliers, who subsequently submitted false claims to Medicare.

It was also indicated that the call center fabricated recordings to give the false impression that the patients had consented to the fitting of braces when they had not.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald spoke out against the fraud, stating, “Through lies, bribes, and the aid of foreign telemarketers, this corrupt scheme preyed on elderly and disabled veterans, flooding the country with unnecessary medical equipment and charging taxpayers for it. Today’s ruling makes clear that if you exploit America’s elderly, sick, and vulnerable populations, you will face justice.”

French played at Ole Miss from 1996 to 1998, gaining recognition as a two-time first-team All-SEC pick during his last two seasons.

Though he went undrafted, he initially joined the Seattle Seahawks, playing through 1999 and 2000, before his release in 2001. He was later traded to the Green Bay Packers in 2002, although he was let go during training camp.