A former NFL player is heading to federal prison for more than 16 years after a jury found he helped run a nearly $200 million fraud scheme that exploited elderly Americans and the families of disabled and deceased military veterans. Joel Rufus French, 47, was sentenced on May 8 to 196 months in federal prison following his February 2026 conviction in the Middle District of Florida. A federal judge also ordered French to pay $110,753,619 in restitution and forfeit approximately $17 million seized from bank accounts and other assets. The case was investigated by the HHS Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the VA Office of Inspector General. Former NFL Player SENTENCED TO OVER 16 YEARS in Prison for $197 MILLION Medicare Fraud “Today’s sentence makes clear that if you target America’s elderly, sick, or vulnerable — and rob America’s purse doing so — you will be targeted and brought to justice.”-Assistant Attorney… pic.twitter.com/1qOsaVKphP — National Fraud Enforcement Division (@DOJFraudDiv) May 8, 2026 The Justice Department shared these sentencing details: French was identified as a former NFL player, a marketing company owner, and the beneficial owner of eight durable medical equipment companies used to bill Medicare and CHAMPVA, the Department of Veterans Affairs health care program for qualifying spouses and children of disabled or deceased veterans. The sentencing release says the scheme ran through patient information and sham doctors’ orders tied to orthotic braces that patients did not want or need. Overseas telemarketing call centers pressured elderly Americans into handing over personal and health insurance information and accepting the braces. In some cases, call recordings were altered to make it appear Medicare patients had consented when they had not. French received a 196-month prison sentence, was ordered to pay $110,753,619 in restitution, and was ordered to forfeit roughly $17 million seized from bank accounts and other assets. The scope of the fraud went well beyond cold calls. French paid kickbacks to sham telemedicine companies to obtain signed medical orders from doctors and nurse practitioners who had never examined the patients and, in many cases, had never even spoken with them. Those fraudulent orders were then funneled through marketers and medical supply companies to generate claims against Medicare and CHAMPVA. The Justice Department also described what prosecutors presented at trial: Trial evidence showed French used straw owners and false documents to conceal his connection to the eight DME companies from Medicare. The government presented evidence that he paid kickbacks to sham telemedicine companies for signed medical orders from doctors and nurse practitioners who had not examined the patients and, in many cases, had never spoken with them. Those orders moved through marketers and medical supply companies before claims were submitted to Medicare and CHAMPVA. Prosecutors also showed that French laundered about $225,000 in cash, including more than $10,000 placed in a bag and driven to Orlando to pay accomplices who sold patient and insurance information. A jury convicted French in February 2026 of health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and a kickback conspiracy. The DOJ noted that its Fraud Division, created on April 7, supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance. The task force has placed a renewed emphasis on prosecuting large-scale fraud against taxpayer-funded programs. Former NFL Player Sentenced to Prison for $197M Medicare Fraud READ: https://t.co/HxCS74COh6 pic.twitter.com/lnCEtVmDjT — The Gateway Pundit (@gatewaypundit) May 9, 2026 French built a fraud operation that billed nearly $200 million to programs designed for elderly Americans and the families of veterans who served their country. Sham doctors signed orders for orthotic braces without ever seeing a patient. Telemarketers cold-called vulnerable people to harvest their information. The 196-month sentence and $110.7 million restitution order reflect the scale of the theft and the deliberate targeting of people the federal government has a duty to protect.