Florida DME operator convicted in Medicare fraud scheme

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Florida DME fraud conviction

Highlights

Sophie Dufort, owner and manager of multiple Florida DME companies, was convicted of orchestrating a scheme that defrauded Medicare through fraudulent orthotic brace prescriptions and kickbacks.
Dufort faces up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and sentencing is scheduled for January 2027.
The conviction highlights increased federal enforcement in the DME sector targeting fraudulent billing practices involving telemarketing, forged prescriptions, and illegal kickbacks.

Conviction details and fraud mechanics

As announced by the U.S. Department of Justice, Sophie Dufort, 57, of Gainesville is found guilty by a federal jury in the Middle District of Florida on charges tied to a Medicare fraud and kickback scheme. Prosecutors say Dufort owned one durable medical equipment company and managed several others involved in billing the federal program for orthotic braces.

Court documents and trial evidence show Dufort conspires with Paula Pirone, 70, of Ocala and others to submit claims based on fake doctors' prescriptions. The scheme relies on prescriptions bought from purported marketing companies that use high-pressure telemarketing to obtain Medicare beneficiaries' information.

Evidence at trial shows some call recordings used to support prescriptions are allegedly faked, including calls said to come from overseas. Prosecutors also say medical practitioners are paid to sign brace prescriptions without contacting or evaluating patients, while in other cases doctors' credentials are stolen to create forged prescriptions that are later sold to Dufort's companies.

Dufort and her co-conspirators then ship braces to beneficiaries and bill Medicare for millions of dollars, even though the recipients do not want or need the devices and no physician has examined them to determine medical necessity. Trial testimony also indicates that when beneficiaries try to return the braces, they are told to discard them or pass them on so the businesses would not have to repay Medicare.

Sentencing exposure and enforcement impact

Dufort is convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, two counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer and pay illegal kickbacks, and one count of offering and paying illegal kickbacks. She faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud count, 10 years for each health care fraud and kickback count, and five years for the conspiracy to defraud the United States and to offer and pay illegal kickbacks count.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for January 2027, with a federal district court judge set to determine the final sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. A medical expert at trial testifies that combinations of braces shipped through the scheme could be very dangerous for elderly Medicare patients, underscoring the patient-safety risks alongside the financial losses.

The case adds to ongoing federal enforcement pressure on the durable medical equipment sector, where regulators and prosecutors continue to target billing tied to telemarketing, forged prescriptions and unlawful kickbacks. The investigation is led by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI, while trial attorney Jody King and Assistant U.S. Attorney William Hamilton prosecute the case.

Our earlier coverage of NAFDAC’s enforcement drive in Nigeria detailed how the regulator destroyed unsafe, falsified and non-compliant food and drug products worth about N22.73 billion within eight months. The piece highlighted tighter monitoring of distribution channels and rising compliance pressure on importers, distributors and retailers as authorities try to keep harmful goods out of circulation.

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