DOJ alleges Joel Rufus French used kickbacks and sham telemedicine to obtain referrals and drive medically unnecessary orthotic brace claims. The alleged scheme funneled reimbursements to Medicare and VA-linked CHAMPVA.

In DOJ’s description of the case, the fraud mechanism focused on referral generation and reimbursement through deceptive medical processes. Joel Rufus French—who previously played in the NFL—was sentenced to 196 months after DOJ alleged he participated in a conspiracy that used kickbacks and sham telemedicine to bring patients into a pipeline aimed at medically unnecessary care. According to the press release, French’s conduct targeted Medicare and VA-linked CHAMPVA, with prosecutors saying the scheme relied on tactics that exploited vulnerable people, including older adults and individuals with disabilities. DOJ alleges the telemedicine component was not designed to deliver legitimate clinical decisions, but instead to manufacture support for claims that orthotic braces were needed. DOJ also alleges the conspiracy involved overseas telemarketing efforts to reach potential patients, and that kickbacks were used to secure the flow of participants and to coordinate the fraudulent documentation and claim submission process. Prosecutors state straw-owned DME suppliers were used to assist with billing for the braces. By combining coercive financial incentives (kickbacks), deceptive remote-medical processes (sham telemedicine), and intermediaries that facilitated claim submissions, DOJ characterizes the scheme as a coordinated effort to cause public health programs to pay for services prosecutors say were not medically necessary. The long prison term reflects the government’s position that the alleged conduct was large-scale and sustained.