Joel Rufus French Convicted in $200M Medicare Scam
A former Ole Miss Rebels tight end with a brief stint in the NFL has been convicted for orchestrating a massive health care fraud scheme that defrauded the federal government of nearly $200 million.
A federal jury in Florida found 47-year-old Joel Rufus French guilty of targeting Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) through fraudulent billing practices. French, who was signed by the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers in the late 1990s but never played in the league, later founded medical supply and marketing companies that became central to the scheme.
Targeting Seniors and Veterans
According to the Justice Department, French’s operation focused on elderly patients — including those suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and dementia — as well as military veterans. Authorities said Medicare was billed for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary, including claims submitted on behalf of deceased individuals and amputees.
“This defendant’s conduct was egregious,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney General A. Tysen Duva. “He targeted seniors suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia and billed Medicare for orthotic braces for deceased patients and amputees.”
Call Centers and Sham Orders
Prosecutors said French collaborated with overseas call centers that pressured elderly individuals into providing personal and insurance information. Victims were allegedly persuaded to accept braces they did not need. In some instances, recordings were altered to falsely indicate patient consent.
The scheme also involved sham telemedicine companies. French paid these entities to obtain signed prescriptions from doctors and nurse practitioners who never evaluated the patients. The fraudulent orders were then sold to marketers and medical supply companies, which submitted reimbursement claims to Medicare.
Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General said the scheme “exploited seniors and corrupted the federal health care system,” adding that French attempted to use Medicare as a “personal ATM machine.”
Concealment and Cash Payments
Trial evidence showed that French used falsified documents to conceal his ownership and control of eight medical supply companies involved in the fraud. Prosecutors also presented evidence that he personally delivered $10,000 in cash to accomplices in Orlando in exchange for beneficiaries’ personal and insurance information.
French’s defense attorney argued that he relied on the “wrong people” to promote his business and confirmed plans to appeal the conviction.
No sentencing date has been announced.
The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG).
