Florida Medical Equipment Owner Convicted in $8.6 Million Medicare Brace Fraud Scheme
Status: Jury conviction; sentencing Jan. 2027. This account is based on the Justice Department's release.
The verdict
A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted Sophie Dufort, 57, of Gainesville, on five counts:
- conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud
- two counts of health care fraud
- conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay kickbacks
- paying kickbacks
The case involved more than $8.6 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for orthotic braces that elderly and disabled patients didn't want or need (DOJ).
How the scheme worked, according to DOJ
According to DOJ's account of the trial evidence, Dufort conspired with Paula Pirone, 70, of Ocala, and others.
- Buying prescriptions: they bought brace prescriptions from purported marketing companies that used high-pressure telemarketing.
- The signatures: the marketers paid practitioners to sign prescriptions without exams, or used stolen doctor credentials to forge them.
- Faked calls: a co-conspirator admitted that "some of the calls from overseas would be faked."
- Complaints: beneficiaries who complained were told to throw the braces away or give them to someone else, so the companies wouldn't have to repay Medicare.
- Patient risk: an expert testified that some brace combinations could be "very dangerous" for elderly patients.
The release does not state the status of Pirone's own case.
What's next
Dufort faces up to 20 years in prison on the top count. Sentencing is set for January 2027. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI investigated.
Why it matters for Americans
Medicare is paid for by taxpayers and covers elderly and disabled Americans, the patients this scheme targeted.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Justice press release www.justice.gov
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