Former Pro Bowl running back Clinton Portis and two other retired NFL players have pleaded guilty in relation to a nationwide health care benefit fraud scheme totaling about $3 million.
Portis, 40, of Fort Mill, South Carolina; Tamarick Vanover, 47, of Tallahassee, Florida; and Robert McCune, 40, of Riverdale, Georgia, each pleaded guilty on August 24 in relation to a scheme to defraud the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan (the Plan), according to a United States Department of Justice news release.
The Plan was established as part of the NFL's collective bargaining agreement and provided for tax-free reimbursement of out-of-pocket medical care expenses not covered by insurance that were incurred by former NFL players, their spouses, and/or their dependents worth up to $350,000 per player.
Court documents accuse Portis of providing false and fraudulent claims to the Plan during a two-month period in order to obtain $99,264 in benefits for expensive medical equipment that was never provided.
Vanover recruited three other former NFL players into the fraudulent scheme and helped them in causing false and fraudulent claims to be submitted to the Plan, obtaining $159,510 for expensive medical equipment that was never provided.
McCune is accused of orchestrating the nationwide fraud, which resulted in approximately $2.9 million in false and fraudulent claims being submitted to the Plan and the Plan paying out approximately $2.5 million on the claims between June 2017 and April 2018.
Portis, a former standout at the University of Miami, was a two-time Pro Bowler (2002, 2008) during stints with the Denver Broncos (2002-03) and the now-Washington Football Team (2004-2010), as well as the Associated Press/Pro Football Writers of America NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2002.
Vanover, a former standout at Florida State University, spent his first pro season with the Las Vegas Posse of the Canadian Football League in 1004 before two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs (1995-99) and one season with the then-San Diego Chargers (2002), while facing off-field issues during his NFL career.
McCune, a former standout at the University of Louisville, was teammates with Portis during his first two NFL seasons in Washington (2005-06) before joining multiple other franchises including the Miami Dolphins (2006), Baltimore Ravens (2007-08), and Cleveland Browns (2009) and finishing his career in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders (2010-11) and Toronto Argonauts (2012-13).
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