{"id":2602673,"date":"2026-05-14T12:04:01","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:04:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/healthcare-ceo-convicted-of-1-billion-medicare-fraud-conspiracy\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:09:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T16:09:00","slug":"healthcare-ceo-convicted-of-1-billion-medicare-fraud-conspiracy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/healthcare-ceo-convicted-of-1-billion-medicare-fraud-conspiracy\/","title":{"rendered":"Healthcare CEO convicted of $1 billion Medicare fraud conspiracy"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhealthcare-ceo-convicted-of-1-billion-medicare-fraud-conspiracy%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2602673&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal jury in Florida convicted healthsplash founder Brett Blackman, 42, of Kansas, for running a healthcare software-based scheme that defrauded medicare and other <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-a-look-back-on-bernie-sanders-nods-toward-cuban-communism\/\" title=\"WATCH: A Look Back On Bernie Sanders\u2019 Nods Toward Cuban Communism\">federal healthcare programs<\/a> out of more than $1 billion. Blackman\u2019s company generated fake doctors\u2019 notes and prescriptions connected too durable medical equipment (DME), including forged orders for orthotic braces, pain creams, and similar items.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors said Blackman used telehealth arrangements to obtain reimbursements while paying people who signed bogus prescriptions without meaningful patient interaction,then took referral fees. The operation allegedly targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries using misleading mailers, television ads, and calls from offshore call centers to convince people to accept needless products.<\/p>\n<p>blackman faces up to 20 years in prison across multiple fraud and kickback-related convictions. His co-defendant, Gary Cox, was previously convicted and sentenced to 15 years. The Justice Department described the case as one of the largest healthcare fraud busts completed under the Trump governance and among the biggest in Florida,and said the fraud division will continue prosecuting similar schemes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p>A federal jury in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/florida\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"159\">Florida<\/a> has convicted the founder of a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/healthcare\/\" type=\"link\" id=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/section\/healthcare\/\">healthcare<\/a> software company for defrauding <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Medicare-and-Medicaid\/\">Medicare<\/a> and other federal healthcare benefit programs out of more than $1 billion.<\/p>\n<p>HealthSplash CEO Brett Blackman, 42, of Kansas, was found guilty on Wednesday for his role in operating a platform that generated fictitious doctors\u2019 notes and prescriptions as part of a<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/usao-sdfl\/pr\/us-attorney-announces-participation-coordinated-national-health-care-fraud-enforcement\"> sprawling billing scheme<\/a>.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4567774\/doj-dc-bar-weaponizing-discipline\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>DOJ accuses DC Bar authority of weaponizing discipline against federal lawyers<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4567099\/florida-james-uthmeier-subpoena-nfl-rooney-rule-dei-hiring\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Florida attorney general subpoenas NFL over Rooney Rule and DEI hiring practices<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4566479\/south-carolina-supreme-court-overturns-alex-murdaugh-murder-conviction-new-trial\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>South Carolina Supreme Court overturns Alex Murdaugh\u2019s murder conviction and orders new trial<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Blackman owned and controlled HealthSplash, which acquired Power Mobility Doctor Rx, an internet-based platform that forged doctor orders for durable medical equipment, known as DME.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Alongside others involved in the scam, Blackman connected pharmacies, DME suppliers, and marketers with telehealth companies that would accept illegal kickbacks and bribes.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full is-resized\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Brett Blackman wearing a dollar-sign gold chain necklace. (Courtesy of the U.S. Justice Department)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Blackman and his co-conspirators targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries through misleading mailers, television advertisements, and calls from offshore call centers to coerce them to <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >accept medically unnecessary orthotic braces<\/a>, pain creams, and other devices, according to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/criminal\/media\/1374716\/dl\">court documents<\/a> and evidence presented at trial.<\/p>\n<p>Prosecutors say they then paid purported telemedicine physicians to sign bogus prescription orders for these items to obtain reimbursements from Medicare, despite no meaningful interaction with the patients, and at times, no interaction at all. Blackman and his accomplices took a cut for themselves as an illicit referral fee.<\/p>\n<p>Blackman faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit healthcare <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/waste-and-fraud\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"610\">fraud <\/a>and wire fraud conviction, five years for the healthcare kickbacks conviction, and five years for conspiring to defraud the United States and making false statements in connection with healthcare matters. Blackman\u2019s co-defendant, Gary Cox, was convicted in a prior trial and sentenced to 15 years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Officials with the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-justice\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"438\">Justice Department<\/a> told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> that this was one of the largest fraud busts completed under the Trump administration and one of the largest ever in the state of Florida.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Department of Justice crushed one of the most egregious fraud schemes in Florida history,\u201d acting Attorney General <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/todd-blanche\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"20883\">Todd Blanche<\/a> said in a statement. \u201cThis illegitimate operation stole more than $1 billion from American taxpayers \u2014 including hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries. This was cold, calculated, industrial-scale theft targeting the sick and elderly, coercing vulnerable people into buying unnecessary medical equipment. We will not rest until every fraudster ripping off the American people is held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4566720\/jd-vance-fraud-task-force-pause-medicare-home-healthcare-hospice\/\">VANCE\u2019S FRAUD TASK FORCE PAUSES NEW MEDICARE ENROLLMENTS FOR HOME HEALTHCARE AND HOSPICE SERVICES<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe defendant orchestrated a massive telemarketing scheme that used foreign call centers and spam mailers to target our country\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/seniors\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"3074\">senior citizens<\/a> and defraud government health care benefit programs,\u201d added Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the DOJ\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/criminal\/criminal-fraud\/health-care-fraud-unit\/2023-national-hcf-case-summaries\">National Fraud Enforcement Division<\/a>. \u201cThe Fraud Division will continue to aggressively prosecute health care fraud schemes, hold criminals accountable, and protect the integrity of America\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/l-a-county-health-officials-urge-residents-to-wear-masks-at-home-to-protect-vulnerable-one-america-news-network\/\" title=\"L.A. County health officials urge residents to wear masks at home to protect vulnerable | One America News Network\">health care system<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On April 7, the DOJ announced the creation of its fraud division, focused on investigating and prosecuting all forms of taxpayer theft. The division\u2019s work supports President Donald Trump\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.whitehouse.gov\/presidential-actions\/2026\/03\/establishing-the-task-force-to-eliminate-fraud\/\">anti-fraud task force<\/a>, a whole-of-government effort <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4567573\/vance-fraud-task-force-fuels-early-2028-clashes\/\">chaired<\/a> by Vice President JD Vance to root out fraud, waste, and abuse within <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/californias-unemployment-claim-backlog-grows-as-embattled-gov-newsom-faces-reelection\/\" title=\"California\u2019s Unemployment-Claim Backlog Grows as Embattled Gov Newsom Faces Reelection\">federal benefit programs<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Florida jury convicts HealthSplash founder of $1B Medicare fraud<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3767,"featured_media":2602674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iStock-1047505000-e1775575643974.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[79671,79670,63701,4159,64434],"class_list":["post-2602673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-federal-conviction","tag-healthcare-ceo","tag-healthcare-fraud","tag-medicare","tag-white-collar-crime"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/iStock-1047505000-e1775575643974.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3767"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2602673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2602677,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2602673\/revisions\/2602677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2602674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2602673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2602673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2602673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}