Monty Grow, a former Gainesville-based University of Florida and NFL player, was convicted of a healthcare fraud conspiracy for bilking $20 million from the United States Department of Defense Military Health System's TRICARE medical insurance program, according to a Miami Herald report.
On Monday, a Miami jury unanimously convicted Mr. Grow of the healthcare fraud conspiracy involving TRICARE, which provides medical insurance for military members, veterans and their families.
Mr. Grow was also convicted of money laundering and conspiring to receive and pay kickbacks for referring hundreds of military beneficiaries to Patient Care America, a Pompano Beach, Fla.-based pharmacy.
Mr. Grow and his network of sales representatives referred approximately 700 patients to PCA, which received $40 million from the program for providing pain and scar creams and wellness vitamins between 2014 and 2015.
For those patient referrals, PCA paid 50 percent of those federal reimbursements to Mr. Grow under a contract agreement. Mr. Grow kept $10 million with his cut of the taxpayer funds and gave the rest to his associates who recruited TRICARE patients.
Mr. Grow faces up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on April 16.