Former Southern Miss stars among ex-NFL players charged in health care fraud scheme
Two former Southern Miss football stars and three other players who hail from Mississippi are among 10 former NFL players charged with defrauding a health care program for retired players, according to a Justice Department release.
The Justice Department alleges that the players submitted fraudulent claims worth over $3.9 million to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan. The plan paid out over $3.4 million on those claims between June 2017 and December 2018.
The two ex-Golden Eagles in the group are a pair of former defensive backs, John Eubanks and Etric Pruitt. Correll Buckhalter, Clinton Portis, Carlos Rogers, Robert McCune, Tamarick Vanover, Ceandris Brown, James Butler and Frederick Bennett are the other players charged in the Eastern District of Kentucky.
Charges will also be filed against two more retired players, former New Orleans Saints star Joe Horn and ex-San Diego Chargers receiver Reche Caldwell, according to the release.
Eubanks, who is a native of Cleveland, Mississippi, is 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.
Buckhalter and Pruitt, a Theodore, Alabama, native, are each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud.
The Justice Department says that the scheme to defraud the program involved the submitting of fraudulent claims for expensive medical equipment, usually between $40,000 and $50,000 for each claim, that was never purchased or received. Hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cryotherapy machines, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses were among the items that were listed on the claims.
According to the release, McCune, Eubanks, Vanover, Buckhalter, Rogers and others allegedly recruited other players into the scheme. They did so by offering to submit false and fraudulent claims in exchange for kickbacks and bribes. To help push the scheme, the retired players allegedly fabricated documents, including invoices, prescriptions and medical letters. After claims were submitted, Buckhalter and McCune impersonated other players in phone calls to check on the status of the claims.
“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 Brian Benczkowski said in a press release. “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.”
Eubanks finished his USM career in 2005 with 120 career tackles and 10 interceptions. He is USM’s all-time kickoff return yardage leader with 1,845 career yards.
Pruitt, who was drafted in the sixth round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, played safety at USM from 2001-03. He is tied for fifth in program history in pass breakups with 29.
Brown is a Greenwood native who played safety at Louisiana-Lafayette and for the Houston Texans.
Portis, who was born in Laurel, also has deep ties to Mississippi with family spread across the Pine Belt. After a stellar career at Miami, he was a star running back for the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins.
Buckhalter is a Collins native who played his college ball at Nebraska and was a standout with the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL.
This story was originally published December 12, 2019 at 11:15 AM.
