Former Ole Miss Football Player Convicted in $194M Fraud Scheme

A former college football standout with brief NFL experience has been convicted in a sweeping healthcare fraud scheme that siphoned $194 million from Medicare and CHAMPVA, the federal health program serving families of disabled or deceased veterans. The case underscores how durable medical equipment fraud continues to exploit telemedicine loopholes and vulnerable insured populations.

Joel Rufus French, 47, of Amory, Mississippi, secretly controlled eight DME companies while using overseas call centers to solicit elderly beneficiaries. Prosecutors said many of the targeted patients suffered from Alzheimer’s or dementia and in some cases were deceased or amputees. Despite no medical need, orthotic braces were billed to federal programs using physician orders obtained through sham telemedicine companies. Doctors and nurse practitioners often never examined or even spoke with the patients.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, French paid telemedicine companies to generate signed orders, then sold those orders to marketers and medical supply firms that submitted claims to Medicare and CHAMPVA between mid-2017 and early 2019. False ownership records were used to conceal his control of the supply companies, a tactic commonly seen in complex fraud rings designed to evade payers and regulators.

For claims professionals, the case reinforces familiar warning signs: high-volume DME billing, aggressive telemarketing, rapid provider enrollment changes, and hidden ownership structures. Investigators also highlighted cash withdrawals and beneficiary data purchases, including one instance where cash was transported across state lines to pay for stolen insurance information.

French was convicted on all counts by a federal jury in Tampa. While sentencing has not yet been scheduled, prosecutors indicated he faces more than 20 years in prison and substantial forfeiture. Assets tied to annuities with Pacific Life Insurance Co. and Athene Annuity and Life Co. are expected to be seized. The outcome serves as another reminder of the financial and criminal exposure tied to healthcare fraud schemes that manipulate claims systems at scale.