Former college football standout Rufus French has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for orchestrating a $197 million Medicare fraud scheme that specifically targeted senior citizens and disabled veterans.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald said the scheme was fueled by lies, bribes, and overseas telemarketers who pressured elderly Americans into accepting unnecessary orthotic braces.
According to the Justice Department, French worked with telemarketers who altered call recordings to make it appear patients had agreed to receive the braces. He also paid fraudulent companies for signed doctors' orders-often without ever examining the patients.
French was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and kickback offenses. He was ordered to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit roughly $17 million.
The former All-American tight end at Ole Miss played two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before turning to fraud.