A retired National Football League player is facing a five-year imprisonment for defrauding an NFL health care plan.
The U.S. Department of Justice reported that Robert McCune defrauded the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan. He and other NFL players submitted approximately $2.9 million in fraudulent claims. Thirteen other defendants have been sentenced for their participation in the scheme.
“The claims typically sought reimbursement of $40,000 or more for expensive medical equipment, such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines and electromagnetic therapy devices,” the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a press release. “None of the medical equipment described in the claims was ever purchased or received.”
The former linebacker submitted false and fraudulent claims to the health plan on his behalf and on behalf of dozens of other former NFL players, the DOJ said. He collected kickbacks and bribes in large amounts for each fraudulent claim submitted.
McCune was reported to have pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, 10 counts of wire fraud, 12 counts of health care fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft, according to DOJ.
McCune served in the U.S. National Guard for three years. He is 42 years old and resides in Riverdale, Georgia.
