OT - Rufus French Convicted in FL for Medicare Fraud Scheme

[Bulldog45]

Former NFL player from Mississippi convicted in $200M Medicare fraud scheme

The jury convicted French of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks. French faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States. A sentencing date has not been set.

 

[mcdawg22]

Must be friends with Rick Scott.

 

[The Peeper]

Yeah I remember those "Rufus For Heisman" bumper stickers that the Univ of Northern MS had printed up by the thousands like it was yesterday...............

 

[mstateglfr]

Apparently he and others used illegally obtained doctors orders to bill Medicare of equipment that wasnt needed.
Good- glad to see fraud was identified and prosecuted.
1 down 9,632 left.

 

[paindonthurt]

Apparently he and others used illegally obtained doctors orders to bill Medicare of equipment that wasnt needed.
Good- glad to see fraud was identified and prosecuted.
1 down 9,632 left.

Yeah if only we could get someone looking into this!!

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

Damn, $200 MM........Are they sure this wasn't in MN? That's gonna get several years.........Apparently he had been involved with some others in Florida that had been convicted.......That should've been his sign to cut ties but by then I'm guessing he was in too deep and wasn't about to cut off the funds to his family and look like a failure...........#hegone

Funny thing about Rufus is he was a USA today all american outta high school at Amory....... Never played a down in the NFL, regardless of what the headline reads......... Reggie Kelly was a 2 star recruit from across the county in Aberdeen that was actually a QB in HS.........Reggie signed with the Kang and ended up playing 12 years in the NFL...........

 

[Dawgbite]

I’m sorry to say but he didn’t learn this at Ole Miss. He learned this scam when he moved back to Amory post NFL.

 

[Willow Grove Dawg]

Damn, $200 MM........Are they sure this wasn't in MN? That's gonna get several years.........Apparently he had been involved with some others in Florida that had been convicted.......That should've been his sign to cut ties but by then I'm guessing he was in too deep and wasn't about to cut off the funds to his family and look like a failure...........#hegone

Funny thing about Rufus is he was a USA today all american outta high school at Amory....... Never played a down in the NFL, regardless of what the headline reads......... Reggie Kelly was a 2 star recruit from across the county in Aberdeen that was actually a QB in HS.........Reggie signed with the Kang and ended up playing 12 years in the NFL...........

Remember that he left Ole Miss a year early for the NFL & wasn't drafted/never played.

 

[TheDawg-Pound]

I’m sorry to say but he didn’t learn this at Ole Miss. He learned this scam when he moved back to Amory post NFL.

If he'd have sent that money to their nil, we might not be hearing about it

 

[Indndawg]

Former NFL player from Mississippi convicted in $200M Medicare fraud scheme

The jury convicted French of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit, and receive kickbacks. French faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, 10 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, and five years in prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States. A sentencing date has not been set.

Will he share a cell wit Smokin Joe Gunn and other sordid rebels

 

[johnson86-1]

Yeah if only we could get someone looking into this!!

There really is no telling how much of this is out there. When all the pain cream stuff was being prosecuted in Hattiesburg, I was told that there is basically a list of targets for Tricare and medicare fraud that they pretty much know are committing fraud based on the magnitude of billing and it still may take several years of being on that list before they get around to prosecuting just becauase there is not enough manpower. No clue if that's credible or not. Even for the federal government it seems insane to watch $30 to $50M flow out in a year that you are pretty sure is fraudulent and and let it continue for several more years because you don't have the authority to hire a few more lawyers. But seems less crazy watching how easy the federal government intentionally made fraud for the daycare type stuff.

 

[johnson86-1]

Remember that he left Ole Miss a year early for the NFL & wasn't drafted/never played.

Which was really stupid because he was obviously a tweener. Not big enough to play traditional TE. Not fast enough to play WR. I think he would have had a better chance in more modern offenses. But not sure just how fast (or not) he was.

 

[YesIAmAPirate]

Wasn't there a pharmacist in Amory that got busted for major Medicare fraud a couple years ago?

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

I’m sorry to say but he didn’t learn this at Ole Miss. He learned this scam when he moved back to Amory post NFL.

There was no NFL. He played in the arena league for a bit but that's it.

 

[mstateglfr]

Yeah if only we could get someone looking into this!!

There have been people looking into fraud like this- that is literally how this conviction happened.

A potential crime was identified, an investigation took place, an indictment was secured, a trial was held, and the accused was convicted.

 

[Herbert Nenninger]

A few years ago, a former Rebel baseball player got all the podiatrists in Oxford fired for getting them involved in a Medicare billing scam involving unnecessary toenail biopsies.

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

Which was really stupid because he was obviously a tweener. Not big enough to play traditional TE. Not fast enough to play WR. I think he would have had a better chance in more modern offenses. But not sure just how fast (or not) he was.

He was plenty big. He was 6'4' about 250 pounds. He had a shoulder injury when he came out early and that's the reason teams backed off of him and he wasn't drafted. He got the shoulder fixed and was set to make the Packers squad but was injured in their last preseason scrimmage. Had a bad knee injury and that ended his career before it ever took off. FWIW, I know the family and they are actually very good people. His wife is the principal at one of the elementary schools in Amory. Rufus just got in with the wrong people and got greedy and it's costs him. .

 

[paindonthurt]

There really is no telling how much of this is out there. When all the pain cream stuff was being prosecuted in Hattiesburg, I was told that there is basically a list of targets for Tricare and medicare fraud that they pretty much know are committing fraud based on the magnitude of billing and it still may take several years of being on that list before they get around to prosecuting just becauase there is not enough manpower. No clue if that's credible or not. Even for the federal government it seems insane to watch $30 to $50M flow out in a year that you are pretty sure is fraudulent and and let it continue for several more years because you don't have the authority to hire a few more lawyers. But seems less crazy watching how easy the federal government intentionally made fraud for the daycare type stuff.

It’s insane. And we have a large group of people who wanna stick their head in the sand and yell “but the law”!!

 

[johnson86-1]

He was plenty big. He was 6'4' about 250 pounds. He had a shoulder injury when he came out early and that's the reason teams backed off of him and he wasn't drafted. He got the shoulder fixed and was set to make the Packers squad but was injured in their last preseason scrimmage. Had a bad knee injury and that ended his career before it ever took off. FWIW, I know the family and they are actually very good people. His wife is the principal at one of the elementary schools in Amory. Rufus just got in with the wrong people and got greedy and it's costs him. .

For some reason I thought he was more like 225 at Ole Miss. Makes a lot more sense then.

 

[paindonthurt]

There have been people looking into fraud like this- that is literally how this conviction happened.

A potential crime was identified, an investigation took place, an indictment was secured, a trial was held, and the accused was convicted.

Yeah kind of like other fraud that was being looked into in early 2025?
You said 1 of 9000 something.
Try again. It’s like 100 of 100,000 something

celebrate every avenue that exposes fraud even if it’s titled DOGE

 

[paindonthurt]

A few years ago, a former Rebel baseball player got all the podiatrists in Oxford fired for getting them involved in a Medicare billing scam involving unnecessary toenail biopsies.

I’m gonna say they got themselves fired and this isn’t just an ole miss problem although I’d like to think they have more of it than most

 

[paindonthurt]

He was plenty big. He was 6'4' about 250 pounds. He had a shoulder injury when he came out early and that's the reason teams backed off of him and he wasn't drafted. He got the shoulder fixed and was set to make the Packers squad but was injured in their last preseason scrimmage. Had a bad knee injury and that ended his career before it ever took off. FWIW, I know the family and they are actually very good people. His wife is the principal at one of the elementary schools in Amory. Rufus just got in with the wrong people and got greedy and it's costs him. .

6’4 250 was on the small side for a tight end back then

 

[Dawgbite]

Wasn't there a pharmacist in Amory that got busted for major Medicare fraud a couple years ago?

He wasn’t a pharmacist. He was partners with a pharmacist in a front business trying to make the Medicare fraud seem more legitimate. They never connected the pharmacist or he made a deal. I went to high school with the guy that went to prison. In high school his nick name was Business because he always had some scheme cooking. This guy and Rufus were connected somehow after his playing days were over.

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

6’4 250 was on the small side for a tight end back then

Not true........AI says that average size of a TE in the NFL in '97 was 6'4.5" and 240-250 lbs.........

 

[mstateglfr]

Yeah kind of like other fraud that was being looked into in early 2025?
You said 1 of 9000 something.
Try again. It’s like 100 of 100,000 something

celebrate every avenue that exposes fraud even if it’s titled DOGE

I do not care how real fraud is exposed.
I havent heard of any convictions from fraud that was exposed by DOGE. Have there been convictions? Have people been tried and convicted for fraud that was exposed by DOGE?

 

[Walkthedawg]

Without reading, Let me guess... home health care product sales scam?

 

[paindonthurt]

I do not care how real fraud is exposed.
I havent heard of any convictions from fraud that was exposed by DOGE. Have there been convictions? Have people been tried and convicted for fraud that was exposed by DOGE?

Hard to get evidence when you start whining like a bich while they are uncovering it!!

 

[TroyMcClure2025]

For some reason I thought he was more like 225 at Ole Miss. Makes a lot more sense then.

Entrepreneurial zeal aside, he was a bad, bad man on that field at Amory.

 

[mstateglfr]

Hard to get evidence when you start whining like a bich while they are uncovering it!!

Your argument is that criminal fraud was being uncovered and documenter, but people whining about it stopped progress?

You are seriously claiming that is why there havent been convictions for all the claimed fraud?

Come on. Just don't post anything, if that is what you are going to post.
That is so illogical it is difficult to take seriously.

 

[paindonthurt]

Not true........AI says that average size of a TE in the NFL in '97 was 6'4.5" and 240-250 lbs.........

From AI as well "Undersized Profile: Standing at 6'2", French was considered relatively short for a premier NFL tight end at the time, which further emphasized the need for high-end speed that he did not demonstrate in testing."

His height was bottom 15%.

 

[paindonthurt]

Your argument is that criminal fraud was being uncovered and documenter, but people whining about it stopped progress?

You are seriously claiming that is why there havent been convictions for all the claimed fraud?

Come on. Just don't post anything, if that is what you are going to post.
That is so illogical it is difficult to take seriously.

Multiple things can be true at once.

1. We should uncover stupid spending and people shouldn't whine about it.
2. It may have been legal but it wasn't transparent and was stupid and you did whine about it even though you know its stupid.
3. You are a beta cuck who is hypocritical AF

 

[mstateglfr]

Multiple things can be true at once.

1. We should uncover stupid spending and people shouldn't whine about it.
2. It may have been legal but it wasn't transparent and was stupid and you did whine about it even though you know its stupid.
3. You are a beta cuck who is hypocritical AF

If the spending is legal and known, there isn't really anything to uncover. I get hat it might not be known by many, but that doesn't mean it was covered up to begin with.

Anyways, you claimed Doge had exposed fraud. I asked for examples because I don't know of any. You have since claimed there would be examples of people didn't complain, and then just now you mentioned legal spending...which objectively isn't fraud and is the opposite of fraud.

I support ending fraud and convicting those who commit fraud.
If Doge uncovered actual fraud and there have been convictions, or even arrests, lemme know.

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

From AI as well "Undersized Profile: Standing at 6'2", French was considered relatively short for a premier NFL tight end at the time, which further emphasized the need for high-end speed that he did not demonstrate in testing."

His height was bottom 15%.

He absolutely did not have great speed. That's for sure but he was NOT 6'2". I see the guy regularly. I'm 6'1". He's atleast 6'3" or 6'4". NFL player search says 6'3 and 257. That is not undersized.

Rufus French Stats, News and Video - TE | NFL.com

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

Damn, $200 MM........Are they sure this wasn't in MN? That's gonna get several years.........Apparently he had been involved with some others in Florida that had been convicted.......That should've been his sign to cut ties but by then I'm guessing he was in too deep and wasn't about to cut off the funds to his family and look like a failure...........#hegone

Funny thing about Rufus is he was a USA today all american outta high school at Amory....... Never played a down in the NFL, regardless of what the headline reads......... Reggie Kelly was a 2 star recruit from across the county in Aberdeen that was actually a QB in HS.........Reggie signed with the Kang and ended up playing 12 years in the NFL...........

Didn't he declare early and went undrafted?
ETA: didn't read far enough down

 

[paindonthurt]

He absolutely did not have great speed. That's for sure but he was NOT 6'2". I see the guy regularly. I'm 6'1". He's atleast 6'3" or 6'4". NFL player search says 6'3 and 257. That is not undersized.

Rufus French Stats, News and Video - TE | NFL.com

I’m 6’1” ‍ ‍

I bet if you take your shoes off and put a level on your head and mark the wall you don’t hit 6’

 

[patdog]

He was plenty big. He was 6'4' about 250 pounds. He had a shoulder injury when he came out early and that's the reason teams backed off of him and he wasn't drafted. He got the shoulder fixed and was set to make the Packers squad but was injured in their last preseason scrimmage. Had a bad knee injury and that ended his career before it ever took off. FWIW, I know the family and they are actually very good people. His wife is the principal at one of the elementary schools in Amory. Rufus just got in with the wrong people and got greedy and it's costs him. .

They may be good people. But he’s a crook. Don’t give me this “got in with the wrong people” bull. He knew what he was doing was wrong & did it anyway.

 

[paindonthurt]

They may be good people. But he’s a crook. Don’t give me this “got in with the wrong people” bull. He knew what he was doing was wrong & did it anyway.

Guy thinks he’s 6’1. Not gonna change his mind!

 

[theoriginalSALTYdog]

They may be good people. But he’s a crook. Don’t give me this “got in with the wrong people” bull. He knew what he was doing was wrong & did it anyway.

You read that all wrong. I'm not justifying what he did in any way. He ****** up and yeah he knew what he was doing and in the process hurt some good people. I do not feel sorry for him.

 

[Colonel Angus.sixpack]

Yeah I remember those "Rufus For Heisman" bumper stickers that the Univ of Northern MS had printed up by the thousands like it was yesterday...............

No you don’t.

 

[paindonthurt]

If the spending is legal and known, there isn't really anything to uncover. I get hat it might not be known by many, but that doesn't mean it was covered up to begin with.

Anyways, you claimed Doge had exposed fraud. I asked for examples because I don't know of any. You have since claimed there would be examples of people didn't complain, and then just now you mentioned legal spending...which objectively isn't fraud and is the opposite of fraud.

I support ending fraud and convicting those who commit fraud.
If Doge uncovered actual fraud and there have been convictions, or even arrests, lemme know.

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