One former football star is going to be behind bars for over a decade.
Joel Rufus French was sentenced to 196 months in prison for his role in defrauding Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs out of $197 million, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Friday.
French will also have to pay $110,753,619 in restitution and give up the nearly $17 million the government took from his bank accounts and other assets on his ledger.
The former tight end, who was a unanimous All-American in 1998 with Ole Miss, was convicted in February in a six-day trial on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit and receive kickbacks.
action during a game against the Auburn Tigers
at the Hemingway…
This involves defrauding the state or using government systems to steal from individuals.
- Tax Identity Theft: A criminal uses your ID and income details to file a tax return in your name and claim a refund before you do.
- Grant/Benefit Fraud: Falsely claiming unemployment, disability, or social grants that the perpetrator is not entitled to.