Alleged $70M Medicare Fraud Scheme Organized By Medical Equipment Company Owner

French faces charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and engage in illegal health care kickbacks, conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

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Last week, an indictment was revealed in Tampa, accusing a man from Mississippi of involvement in a fraud scheme exceeding $70 million. This scheme allegedly entailed offering kickbacks and bribes to secure doctors’ orders for unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME). Joel Rufus French, aged 46, hailing from Amory, appeared for his initial hearing on April 11 in Oxford, Mississippi.

Court documents suggest that French purportedly oversaw multiple DME companies without disclosing his position to Medicare. Allegedly, he and his associates utilized these companies to bill Medicare for orthotic braces obtained through illicit kickbacks and bribes, which were either medically unnecessary, not provided as claimed, or ineligible for Medicare reimbursement.

Furthermore, French is accused of acquiring Medicare beneficiary information and providing kickbacks and bribes for DME orders. It's alleged that he generated and sold doctors’ orders for orthotic braces to suppliers and brokers in exchange for substantial kickbacks and bribes. Lastly, French is purported to have engaged in a money laundering scheme to conceal proceeds from his illicit activities.

French faces charges including conspiracy to defraud the United States and engage in illegal health care kickbacks, conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Upon conviction, he could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, health care fraud, and money laundering, as well as up to five years for conspiracy to defraud the United States and participate in illegal health care kickbacks.

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Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, who leads the Criminal Division of the Justice Department; U.S. Attorney Roger B. Handberg for the Middle District of Florida; Assistant Director Michael D. Nordwall of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank from the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) jointly made the announcement.

The FBI Tampa Field Office and HHS-OIG are currently investigating the case, while Trial Attorney Catherine Wagner from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Peresie for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting.

It's important to note that an indictment represents an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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