Clinton Portis and 9 other former players accused of defrauding NFL healthcare program
Federal authorities allege 10 ex-NFL players, including former Miami Hurricanes running back Clinton Portis and Florida State wide receiver Tamarick Vanover, defrauded the league’s healthcare benefit program of roughly $4 million, according to the Justice Department.
Charges are expected to be brought against former Florida wide receiver Donald “Reche” Caldwell as well.
The case will be tried the Eastern District of Kentucky where the Justice Department filed charges Thursday morning.
Others named in the case were Frederick Bennett, Ceandris Brown, James Butler, Correll Buckhalter, John Eubanks, Robert McCune, Etric Pruitt and Charles Rogers. The government is also expected to bring charges against Joe Horn as well.
Each player was charged with some combination of health care wire fraud, wire fraud and health care fraud. The Justice Department charged Portis with all three.
The Washington Post first reported four of the former players – McCune, Eubanks, Brown and Rogers – were arrested Thursday morning while the others, including Portis, will turn themselves before the end of the day. McCune and Rogers were picked up in Georgia. Eubanks and Brown were arrested in Mississippi and Texas, respectively.
According to the Justice Department, the players submitted fraudulent claims to the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan for medical equipment which cost between $40,000-$50,000. Some of the equipment included hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cryotherapy machines, ultrasound machines.
The indictment alleges the players recruited others into their scheme by submitting false claims in their names. In return, the players would give out “kickbacks” and bribes of up to $10,000. Court documents also accused the players of concocting fake documents like invoices and letters of medical necessity as well as impersonating those they recruited on phone calls in an attempt to check the status of their fraudulent claims.
Charging documents state that the total dollar amount of the false claims added up to $3.9 million. Between June 2017 and December 2018, the Plan paid out more than $3.4 million.
The aforementioned charges carry a legal maximum penalty of 50 years, according to The Washington Post.
“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,” Assistant Attorney General Benczkowski said in a statement.
In response to the allegations, Portis’ attorney Mark Dycio reinforced his client’s innocence.
“Clinton Portis had no knowledge that his participation in what he believed to be an NFL sanctioned medical reimbursement program was illegal,” Dycio said to The Washington Post. “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.”
A Gainesville native, Portis played three years at The U between 1991-2001 before being selected in the second round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
This is a breaking story and will be updated with new information.
