A Mississippi man faces up to 25 years in prison for his alleged role in a Medicare fraud scheme exceeding $70 million.
In an indictment unsealed earlier this month in a U.S. District Court in Tampa, Joel Rufus French, 46, of Amory, Miss., is charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive illegal healthcare kickbacks, conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
From 2017 through 2019, Mr. French allegedly managed multiple durable medical equipment companies without disclosing his role to Medicare, according to court documents.
Prosecutors claim he used the companies to bill Medicare for orthotic braces obtained by the use of fraudulent physician orders, which were generated by contacting Medicare beneficiaries and obtaining personally identifiable information through call centers. The indictment alleges that kickbacks and bribes were also used to obtain medical providers' signatures, generating the fraudulent physician orders. Mr. French also allegedly paid for physicians' orders for orthotic braces that were then sold to suppliers and brokers in exchange for millions in kickbacks and bribes.
Mr. French managed several durable medical equipment companies in Florida, Tennessee, Georgia and Missouri, and also operated a company called R&L Marketing in Amory, Miss., according to the indictment.