Former Florida football player convicted of $20 million healthcare fraud conspiracy

Miami Herald ^ | 2/6/2018 | Jay Weaver

[KeyLargo]

Former Florida football player convicted of $20 million healthcare fraud conspiracy

By Jay Weaver

jweaver@miamiherald.com

February 05, 2018 03:26 PM

Updated 50 minutes ago

Monty Grow, a former University of Florida and NFL player who made a small fortune selling pharmaceutical drugs, took the unusual step of testifying in his trial on charges of swindling millions from a federal program that provides medical insurance for the U.S. military.

The 46-year-old Grow was hit again and again with questions by a federal prosecutor about receiving and paying kickbacks to score lucrative patient referrals for a major South Florida pharmacy.

“You were essentially buying and selling patients for a pharmacy?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Jon Juenger pressed Grow.

“No, I was not,” he said calmly.

On Monday, a dozen Miami federal jurors found that they did not believe him.

The jury unanimously convicted Grow of a healthcare fraud conspiracy for bilking $20 million from the TRICARE program for military members, veterans and their families. He was also convicted of conspiring to receive and pay kickbacks for referring hundreds of military beneficiaries to the Pompano Beach-based pharmacy, Patient Care America, as well as of money laundering. But Grow, who remained stoic while the guilty verdicts were read, was acquitted of numerous other related charges.

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno ordered that Grow, who lives in Tampa, be taken into custody immediately by U.S. marshals because of the amount of money involved in the healthcare fraud case. He faces up to 20 years in prison at his sentencing hearing on April 16.

[KeyLargo]

At least one story of actual federal law enforcement working field agents doing their job unlike the FBI, directed by corrupt senior level management.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Tampa Resident Indicted for Involvement with Tricare Health Care Fraud Scheme

Tampa resident indicted in the Southern District of Florida for his involvement in Tricare health care fraud scheme, money laundering, and the misbranding of drugs.

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, John F. Khin, Special Agent in Charge, Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS), Southeast Field Office, Shimon R. Richmond, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Justin D. Green, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Office of Criminal Investigations (OCI), Miami Field Office, and Frank Robey, Director, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command’s Major Procurement Fraud Unit, made the announcement.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/tampa-resident-indicted-involvement-tricare-health-care-fraud-scheme

[KeyLargo]

[petercooper]

Handcuffs are off of law enforcement. Every day another “Win” story about criminals being rounded up. Imagine that, enforcing the law works.

[TangoLimaSierra]

Been a dumb-ass for a long time.

more trouble in 2013

[Paradox]

Little known fact, the UF Gators have the worst record going, as far as players and former players being in trouble with the law. Seems the rest of them are anti-Tebows.

[Retvet]

Just one more national felon league member.

[KeyLargo]

Sports
Ex-Bear Shane Matthews receives prison sentence in Florida health care scam
Bears 02/07/2018, 11:10am

Former Bears quarterback Shane Matthews will serve three months in prison for his involvement in a Florida health care insurance scam. | AP
Dan Cahill

Former Bears quarterback Shane Matthews was sentenced to three months in prison for his involvement in a $20 million health care fraud conspiracy in Florida, the Miami Herald reports.

Matthews had a marketing role with a company run by former Florida Gators teammate and NFL player Monty Grow, who now faces up to 20 years in prison after being convicted Monday of swindling money from a federal program that provides medical insurance to military veterans.

https://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/ex-bear-shane-matthews-receives-prison-sentence-in-florida-health-care-scam/