Former Ole Miss Football Star Rufus French Sentenced to 16 Years for Medicare Fraud, Ordered to Pay $110 Million The U.S. Department of Justice announced on May 8 that former Ole Miss football star Rufus French has been sentenced to more than 16 years in prison for orchestrating a Medicare fraud scheme that defrauded the government of over $197 million. French, 47, was also ordered to pay $110,753,619 in restitution and forfeit approximately $17 million in assets seized by authorities. The sentencing follows his conviction in February for conspiracy to commit Medicare fraud, money laundering, and other charges tied to a scheme that exploited vulnerable patients. French’s crimes involved defrauding the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) by selling patient information and falsifying doctors’ orders for unnecessary medical equipment. Prosecutors alleged that French colluded with overseas telemarketing call centers to pressure elderly Americans and disabled veterans into providing personal health details and accepting orthopedic braces they did not need. In some cases, calls were manipulated to mislead victims into believing they had ordered braces when they had not. The fraudulent activity led to the billing of Medicare for unnecessary devices, costing taxpayers millions. French, who resides in Armory, Mississippi, played for Ole Miss from 1996 to 1998. During his collegiate career, he was an All-America selection in 1998 but was not drafted by the NFL. Over three seasons, he appeared in 32 games, recording six catches for 83 yards in 1996, 43 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns in 1997, and 35 catches for 386 yards and two touchdowns in 1998. After college, he signed with the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers but did not play in any regular-season games.#ole_miss #us_department_of_justice #rufus_french #colin_m_mcdonald
