Three former NFL players were sentenced on Monday after they were accused of scamming a health care program for the league’s retired athletes, a report said.
Correll Buckhalter, 43, who played for the Denver Broncos and Philadelphia Eagles, was sentenced to 10 months in prison, followed by as many months of house arrest, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
The other two former players, Darrell Reid, 39, and Anthony Montgomery, 37, were sentenced to 10 months house arrest by US District Judge Karen Caldwell in Lexington, Kentucky.
The three former players are among 15 players who had pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. They made bogus claims to the league’s Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan to get money for fraudulent out-of-pocket medical expenses.
According to prosecutors, the players have submitted over $3.9 million in fraudulent claims. For his part, Buckhalter raked in about $121,000 from the fake claims, according to court documents.
Montgomery, who played for Washington Football Team, formally known as Washington Redskins, filed two phony claims worth roughly $94,000, court documents show.
Prosecutors said Reid, who played at the University of Minnesota and also played for the Denver Broncos in his pro career, also filed two bogus claims valued at more than $93,000.
