Court documents show that the former player submitted false and fraudulent claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan on his own behalf and on behalf of dozens of other former NFL players. The Plan was established to provide former players, their spouses and their dependents, up to a maximum of $350,000 per player tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical care expenses that were not covered by insurance…Between June 5, 2017, and April 12, 2018, he submitted 68 claims for 51 other players. The claims typically sought reimbursement of $40,000 or more for expensive medical equipment such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices. None of the medical equipment described in the claims was ever purchased or received, In total, he and his co-conspirators submitted approximately $2.9 million in fraudulent claims to the Plan…The former player obtained identifying information for other participants in the plan. In exchange for submitting the false and fraudulent claims, he demanded kickbacks and bribes in the thousands of dollars for each claim submitted…Thirteen other defendants have been sentenced for their participation in the nationwide scheme. Source:
DOJ and
Reuters
