Two Former Texans Among Eight Former NFL Players Charged with ‘Health Insurance Fraud’

HOUSTON. Eight former NFL players and an athletic coach from Houston have been charged with defrauding an NFL players’ trust fund by making false claims for medical benefits, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said Monday.

Two of them, Corey Bradford and Shanti Orr, were Houston Texans, and Jonathan Hadnot Jr. played college football at the University of Houston.

The claims were for rehab by a trainer named Louis Ray, owner of Rehab Express in the Galleria area.

Ray, 59, was charged with a first-degree felony of enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $300,000. He gave up on Monday.

Prosecutors say Ray created fraudulent accounts that claimed he treated players from March 7, 2016 to November 2018. Players then signed and submitted forms for NFL Player Gene Upshaw’s NFL Plan, Health Reimbursement Account. The players are accused of pocketing the bailout money and paying Ray to sign and verify fake invoices.

Medical records show that 92 reimbursement claims totaling $723,826 were filed, with Ray allegedly receiving payments totaling $112,972.

“Health insurance fraud is insidious because such fraud leads to higher insurance premiums for everyone else,” said Attorney Rick Watson. “This not only increases the stakes, but also requires a lot of taxpayer money to investigate them.”

• Corey Bradford: charged with felony second-degree enforcement of a document by deceit for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $150,000 and less than $300,000. Bradford, 44, was a wide receiver for the Houston Texans from 2002 to 2005.
• Shanti Orr: Charged with felony third-degree enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $30,000 and less than $150,000. Orr was a linebacker for the Houston Texans from 2003 to 2007.
• Jonathan Rex Hadnot Jr.: Charged with felony third-degree enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $30,000 and less than $150,000. The 38-year-old Lufkin native played college football at the University of Houston before being drafted by the Miami Dolphins.
• Clint Ingram: Charged with felony third-degree enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks for more than $30,000 and less than $150,000. The 37-year-old Hallsville, Texas native played linebacker for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New Orleans Saints.
• Chadwick Slaughter: Charged with felony third-degree enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $30,000 and less than $150,000. The 42-year-old Dallas native played offensive line for the Dallas Cowboys and the Oakland Raiders.
• James Adkisson: Charged with felony third-degree enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $30,000 and less than $150,000; The 40-year-old tight end played two games for the LA Raiders in 2006 before being cut.
• Fabian Washington: Charged with felony third-degree enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $30,000 and less than $150,000. The 37-year-old played guard for the Oakland Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens.
• Derrick Pope: charged with felony state prison enforcement of a document by deception for allegedly receiving checks in excess of $2,500 and less than $30,000. The 38-year-old Galveston native was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 2004.

“This fund was set up to help former players get medical services and cheating the system means they were stealing from other players and former teammates,” Ogg said. “Investigating and seeking white-collar justice takes time, effort and collaboration across agencies, and we want to thank them for bringing this scheme to light.”