(CNN) — Former Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis and a number of retired NFL players were charged by a federal grand jury with defrauding the NFL’s health care benefit plan, according to an indictment unsealed Thursday.
The former NFL players allegedly submitted fraudulent health care claims seeking to be reimbursed for “expensive medical equipment” even though the equipment was never purchased, court records show.
According to an indictment unsealed in Kentucky, the former players are accused of submitting claims for equipment such as “hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines designed for use by a doctor’s office to conduct women’s health examinations, and electromagnetic therapy devices designed for use on horses.”
The scheme, which lasted from June 2017 to December 2018, led to fraudulent claims totaling more than $2.5 million, the indictment says.
The defendants include Portis, the former Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos running back; Robert McCune, a former linebacker with the Redskins; John Eubanks, a former cornerback with the Redskins; Tamarick Vanover; Ceandris Brown; James Butler; Fredrick Bennett; and Etric Pruitt.
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