NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
A star college football player was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison for his role in a $197 million fraud.
Rufus French participated in a years-long scheme in which he sold patient information and faked doctors’ orders for orthotics that patients did not want or need.
“Fueled by lies, bribes and overseas telemarketers, this corrupt scheme preyed on seniors and disabled veterans to flood the country with unnecessary medical devices – and then passed the cost on to taxpayers,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Division.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Mississippi Rebels tight end Rufus French looks on during the game against the SMU Mustangs at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas, September 26, 1998. The Rebels defeated the Mustangs 48-41. (Todd Warshaw/Allsport)
“Today’s sentence makes clear that if you target America’s elderly, sick or vulnerable – and thereby steal from America’s wallet – you will be targeted and brought to justice.”
The Justice Department said French worked with foreign telemarketers who pressured older Americans to provide their health information and agree to accept unnecessary braces. Telemarketers altered call recordings to make it appear as if patients were agreeing to braces if they had not.
The French paid fraudulent companies to obtain signed prescriptions from doctors, even though they often never interacted with patients.
Mississippi Rebels tight end Rufus French runs with the football during a game against the Auburn Tigers at Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Mississippi, September 12, 1998. The Tigers defeated the Rebels 17-0. (Todd Warshaw/Allsport)
FOUR MORE WOMEN ACCUSE FORMER NFL PLAYER OF SEXUAL ASSAULT AMID EXISTING ALLEGATIONS: ‘FLATANT LIES’
French was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conspiracy to offer, pay, solicit, and receive bribes.
He was also ordered to pay nearly $111 million in restitution and forfeit about $17 million that the government seized from his bank accounts.
French’s son, Charleston, plays football for Bill Belichick at the University of North Carolina.
North Carolina Tar Heels running back Charleston French runs for yards after a catch defended by Charlotte 49ers defensive back Treyveon McGee during the first quarter at Jerry Richardson Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on September 6, 2025. (Jim Dedmon/Imagn Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
French played at Ole Miss and was a two-time first-team All-SEC tight end – he was also a unanimous All-American in 1998.
He went undrafted in the 1999 NFL Draft, but managed to play for two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks.
