Another former NFL player pleads guilty in health-fraud scheme

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – In federal court in Lexington this week, a former NFL player pleaded guilty to his role in a health-fraud scheme, bringing to twelve, the number of former pro players who have admitted guilt in the case, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

The report says former Auburn and NFL cornerback Carlos Rogers pleaded guilty on Monday to one charge of conspiring to defraud a program set-up to reimburse former players for out-of-pocket medical expenses.  He’s scheduled to be sentenced in March, according to the report.

The report says the program was established in 2006 to reimburse eligible former NFL players for medical expenses not covered by insurance.  NFL teams finance the program.

Rogers is one of 15 former NFL players charged in the case, which dates back to last December, according to the report.

The U.S. Justice Department says the former players submitted nearly $4 million in false claims, according to the Herald-Leader report.

No former player charged in the case lives in Kentucky.  The reason the case is in federal court in Lexington is because the fraudulent claims were processed through an insurance data center in the city, according to the report.

In his plea deal, Carlos Rogers acknowledged he helped recruit other former players to join the scheme, including Correll Buckhalter, who was paid by other former players to submit claims, according to the report.

In addition to Rogers and Buckhalter, the other former players who have pleaded guilty in the case include John Eubanks, Ceandris Brown, James Butler, Fredrick Bennett, Etric Pruitt, Antwan Odom, Anthony Montgomery, Darrell Reid, Joe Horn and Reche Caldwell, according to the report.  Caldwell was shot and killed this summer an an apparent robbery attempt before being sentenced, according to the report.

The only former player to be sentenced thus far is Ceandris Brown, who received 12-months and one-day in jail and was ordered to repay $84,777 to the health fund, according to the report.

The other former players who were charged and await trial in April are Robert McCune, Tamrick Vanover and Clinton Portis, according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Carlos Rogers’ plea document hints that there are other former NFL players who were involved in the scheme, who have not yet been charged, according to the report.