Why was Anthony Montgomery arrested?
Anthony Montgomery played four seasons with the Washington Football Team from 2006-2009. Montgomery started 22 games out of a possible 42 during his four-year career. Since leaving the NFL, Anthony Montgomery has made headlines for committing fraud crimes.
Anthony Montgomery is one of ten former NFL players who have been arrested for health care fraud. Montgomery was one of three former Washington Football Team members that were arrested for the fraud. Washington running back Clinton Portis and linebacker Robert McCune were the two other players charged alongside Montgomery.
The three Washington Football Team players were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Robert McCune also faces three counts of identity theft. But first, let's look at the reason behind the arrest of former Washington Football Team defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery.
What did Anthony Montgomery do to receive the charges for health care fraud and wire fraud?
Anthony Montgomery took part in a series of health care fraud incidents involving former NFL athletes. According to federal prosecutors, Montgomery and other NFL players submitted phony claims that totaled $4 million. The payouts for those claims came out to be roughly $3.4 million between June 2017 and December 2018.
The NFL players targeted the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Health Reimbursement Account Plan. They targeted the health reimbursement account plan because the plan provides tax-free reimbursement for out-of-pocket medical care expenses not covered by insurance.
Assistant Attorney General Brian Benczkowski said this during an interview in December of 2019:
"The players claimed to have purchased hyperbaric oxygen chambers, ultrasound machines, and electromagnetic therapy devices that were designed to be used on horses."
Will Vitka of WTOP News reported the accusations against the former NFL players. Vitka shared this information during his write-up on the WTOP website.
"Accusations include fabricating letters from health care providers about using medical equipment, fabricating prescriptions that were purportedly signed by healthcare providers and creating fake invoices from medical equipment companies in effort to prove the equipment was purchased, according to court documents."
Prosecutors in the case reported that the players never purchased or received medical equipment. Anthony Montgomery entered a guilty plea deal to accept a reduced sentence. Time will tell how this ends for Anthony Montgomery.