A 60-year-old man from Fairfield, Connecticut, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that defrauded health care benefit programs of approximately $7.8 million. Jesse Foote learned his fate during a sentencing hearing on October 24, 2023, in federal court located in Newark, New Jersey, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Foote previously pleaded guilty to charges related to conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Between December 2017 and March 2021, he collaborated with various parties, including overseas telemarketing call centers, durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers, telemedicine companies, and physicians to submit fraudulent claims to programs like Medicare and TRICARE.
Authorities described the operation as a “circular scheme of kickbacks and bribes.” The U.S. Attorney’s Office indicated that Foote controlled a marketing company that purchased patient “leads” from overseas telemarketing firms. These leads contained personal information about Medicare beneficiaries and pre-written doctors’ orders for DME.
In a disturbing tactic, the call centers targeted Medicare beneficiaries and others with health insurance, persuading them to accept DME such as orthotic braces, regardless of actual need. Foote allegedly paid bribes to telemedicine companies, which then funneled kickbacks to doctors in exchange for signing off on orders based on the acquired leads.
“Doctors often approved the DME orders without having any contact with the beneficiary and without making a bona fide assessment that the DME was medically necessary,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated. Following this, Foote sold the signed doctors’ orders to others involved in kickback arrangements. These orders were ultimately submitted to DME suppliers—including those controlled by Foote—resulting in fraudulent claims for reimbursement to health care benefit programs, including Medicare and TRICARE.
In total, the fraudulent claims submitted through this scheme exceeded $7.8 million. In addition to his prison sentence, Foote was ordered to serve three years of supervised release following his incarceration. He is also required to pay restitution amounting to $7.8 million to the affected health care programs.
This case underscores the ongoing efforts by federal authorities to combat health care fraud, which can undermine the integrity of essential health services and drain resources from those in genuine need.
