4 Georgians, Ex-NFL Players, Among 10 Charged In Fraud Scheme

Ten former NFL players are facing charges related to a nationwide scheme in defrauding millions of dollars from a health care benefit program for retired players, according to a release from the Department of Justice. Four of the charged players come from Georgia: Robert McCune, Carlos Rogers, James Butler and Frederick Bennett join six other players in the alleged scheme.

Federal prosecutors accuse the former NFL players of targeting the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan, which provided tax-free reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical care expenses not covered by insurance.

Those charged made more than $3.9 million in false and fraudulent claims against the plan and were paid out $3.4 million between June 2017 and December 2018, the Justice Department said. The players in the alleged fraud are:

• Robert McCune, 40, of Riverdale, Georgia, is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, nine counts of wire fraud and nine counts of health care fraud.
• John Eubanks, 36, of Cleveland, Mississippi; Tamarick Vanover, 45, of Tallahassee, Florida; and Carlos Rogers, 38, of Alpharetta, Georgia, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, two counts of wire fraud and two counts of health care fraud.
• Clinton Portis, 38, of McLean, Virginia; Ceandris Brown, 36, of Fresno, Texas; James Butler, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia; and Fredrick Bennett, 35, of Port Wentworth, Georgia, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, one count of wire fraud and one count of health care fraud.
• Correll Buckhalter, 41, of Colleyville, Texas, and Etric Pruitt, 38, of Theodore, Alabama, are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud.

McCune played for the Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns.

Rogers played for the Washington Redskins, the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders

Butler played for the New York Giants and the St. Louis Rams.

Bennett played for the Houston Texans, San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals.

"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," Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski said in a prepared 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."

The indictments filed by federal authorities say the scheme involved submitting false and fraudulent claims to the plan for expensive medical equipment, between $40,000-$50,000 for each claim. The equipment was never purchased, officials said.

Five of the former players — McCune, Eubanks, Vanover, Buckhalter and Rogers — recruited others into the scheme by offering to submit fraudulent claims in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, the department alleged.

"As part of the scheme, the defendants allegedly fabricated supporting documentation for the claims, including invoices, prescriptions and letters of medical necessity," officials said.

After submitting the claims, the government said McCune and Buckhalter are accused of calling the phone number provided by the plan and impersonated other players to check on the status of the claims.

See the Justice Department release.