Rufus French sentenced to 16 years in $197 million fraud case
Rufus French, a former college football standout, received a 16-year prison sentence on Friday for his role in a $197 million fraud scheme. The operation targeted senior citizens and disabled veterans by selling their health information and fake doctors' orders for unneeded orthotic braces. French was convicted of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit and receive kickbacks.
French collaborated with overseas telemarketers who pressured elderly Americans to share health details and accept unnecessary braces, sometimes altering call recordings to simulate consent. He paid fraudulent companies to produce signed doctors' orders without patient contact. "Fueled by lies, bribes and overseas telemarketers, this corrupt scheme preyed on senior citizens and disabled veterans to flood the country with unnecessary medical devices - and then billed the taxpayer for it," said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. McDonald added that the sentence shows justice will target those who exploit the vulnerable at taxpayer expense.
A tight end at the University of Mississippi, French earned first-team All-SEC honors twice and unanimous All-American status in 1998. He went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft but played two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
The court ordered French to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit about $17 million seized from bank accounts. His son, Charleston French, plays football for the University of North Carolina.
