Florida jury convicts Sophie Dufort in $8.6 million Medicare fraud scheme

A federal jury in the Middle District of Florida convicted Sophie Dufort, a Gainesville medical equipment company owner, in a scheme that generated more than $8.6 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for orthotic braces, the Justice Department said on October 27. The case concerns braces sent to beneficiaries who, prosecutors said, had not been examined to determine whether they needed them.

Dufort, 57, owned one durable medical equipment company and managed several others. According to the Justice Department’s account of court documents and trial evidence, she conspired with Paula Pirone, 70, of Ocala, and others to submit claims using fake doctors’ prescriptions.

How the brace claims were generated

The Justice Department said a medical expert testified that some combinations of braces could be ‘very dangerous’ for older Medicare beneficiaries. When recipients complained or tried to return the braces, Dufort and her co-conspirators told them to discard or pass them along, according to the department. That avoided repaying Medicare for the claims.

What the jury decided and when sentencing is scheduled

The jury convicted Dufort of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, two counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer and pay illegal kickbacks, and one count of offering and paying illegal kickbacks. The Justice Department said the case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services’ inspector general and the FBI.

Dufort faces maximum statutory penalties of 20 years for the fraud and wire fraud conspiracy, 10 years for each health care fraud count and the kickback count, and five years for the conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer and pay illegal kickbacks. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 2027; a federal judge will determine the sentence after considering sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors, the Justice Department said.