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Clinton Portis among 10 ex-NFL players charged in multimillion-dollar scam
Ten former NFL players — including Pro Bowler Clinton Portis — have been charged in a “brazen” multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud a health care program for the league’s retired athletes, federal authorities announced Thursday.
The ex-players — including five former Washington Redskins — are accused of submitting false claims for pricey medical equipment like hyperbaric oxygen chambers and cryotherapy machines they never actually purchased and then pocketing reimbursements of up to $50,000, the Kentucky US Attorney’s office said.
In all, the players submitted more than $3.9 million in bogus claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, resulting in more than $3.4 million in payouts between June 2017 and December 2018, the prosecutors allege.
Along with Portis, ex-NFLers Carlos Rogers, Robert McCune, John Eubanks, Tamarick Vanover, Ceandris Brown, James Butler, Fredrick Bennett, Correll Buckhalter and Etric Pruitt were also charged in the scam.
Federal prosecutors also intend to file charges in the Eastern District of Kentucky against two other onetime NFL players, former receivers Joe Horn and Donald Caldwell.
The players are variously charged with wire fraud, health care fraud and conspiracy to commit wire and health care fraud. The first two carry a sentence of up to 20 years behind bars, and the third rap up to 10 years in the slammer.
Four of the former players — McCune, Eubanks, Brown and Rogers — have been taken into custody, while the others have agreed to turn themselves in Department of Justice spokesman Peter Carr told The Post.
“Ten former NFL players allegedly committed a brazen, multi-million dollar fraud on a health care plan meant to help their former teammates and other retired players pay legitimate, out-of-pocket medical expenses,” DOJ Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said in a statement.
“Today’s indictments underscore that whoever you are, if you loot health care programs to line your own pockets, you will be held accountable by the Department of Justice.”
An attorney for Portis told the Washington Post that his client was surprised by the allegations.
“Clinton Portis had no knowledge that his participation in what he believed to be an NFL sanctioned medical reimbursement program was illegal,” attorney Mark Dycio told the newspaper.
“He is completely taken aback by this indictment and will move forward with the process of clearing his good name and those of his fellow NFL alumni.”
FILED UNDER HEALTH CARE ,
https://nypost.com/2019/12/12/clinton-portis-among-10-ex-nfl-players-charged-in-health-care-scam/