Former Raven Charged In NFL Health Care Fraud Scheme

A former Baltimore Raven is one of 10 former NFL players charged in what authorities allege was a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud a health care program for retired players. More than 20 FBI field offices worked on the investigation.

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.

McCune played for the Ravens in 2007 and 2008 after being drafted by the Washington Redskins in 2005. He spent part of the 2006 season with the Miami Dolphins.

Federal prosecutors accuse McCune and nine other 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, according to the Department of Justice.

McCune and other retired NFL players are accused of making false and fraudulent claims for expensive medical equipment – typically between $40,000 and $50,000 for each claim – that was never purchased or received, such as hyperbaric oxygen chambers, cryotherapy machines, ultrasound machines designed for use in a doctor's office for women's health examinations, and electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses, according to the indictment.

Three former players were 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:

• John Eubanks, 36, of Cleveland, Mississippi (former Washington Redskins player)
• Tamarick Vanover, 45, of Tallahassee, Florida (former Kansas City Chiefs player)
• Carlos Rogers, 38, of Alpharetta, Georgia (former Redskins and San Francisco 49ers)

Four were 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:

• Clinton Portis, 38, of McLean, Virginia (former Redskins and Denver Broncos player)
• Ceandris Brown, 36, of Fresno, Texas (former Houston Texans player)
• James Butler, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia (former New York Giants and St. Louis Rams player)
• Fredrick Bennett, 35, of Port Wentworth, Georgia (former Houston Texans player)

One person was charged with one offense: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud:

• Etric Pruitt, 38, of Theodore, Alabama (former Atlanta Falcons and Seattle Seahawks player)

Federal prosecutors say they plan to file charges against these former players of conspiracy to commit health care fraud:

• Joseph Horn, 47, of Columbia, South Carolina (former New Orleans Saints player)
• Donald "Reche" Caldwell, 40, of Tampa, Florida (former San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots player)

According to allegations in the indictments, Buckhalter, McCune, Eubanks, Vanover, Rogers and others recruited other players into the scheme by offering to submit or cause the submission of false claims for kickbacks and bribes that ranged from a few thousand dollars to $10,000 or more per claim submitted.

As part of the scheme, the defendants allegedly fabricated supporting documentation for the claims, such as invoices, prescriptions and letters of medical necessity.

After the claims were submitted, Buckhalter and McCune allegedly called the telephone number provided by the plan and impersonated other players to check on the status of the false and fraudulent claims.

It was 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 statement Thursday, Dec. 12.

"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," Benczkowski said.

" Over 20 FBI field offices participated in this investigation, which demonstrates the level of commitment we have to rooting out this type of fraud," FBI Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the Miami Field Office said in a statement.

The FBI oversaw the probe, with help from its offices in Augusta, Georgia; Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama; Cleveland, Ohio; Chicago; Columbia, South Carolina; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Jackson, Mississippi; Lexington, Kentucky; New Orleans; Miami, Jacksonville and Tampa, Florida; Newark, New Jersey; Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and Newport Beach, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Washington, D.C.

Patch editors Max Bennett and Feroze Dhanoa contributed to this report.