A former University of Connecticut football player turned Texas lab owner is now facing federal prison time after a jury found him guilty in a sweeping Medicare fraud case tied to genetic testing.
According to Fox News, federal prosecutors said Keith J. Gray used his laboratories to bill the government for large volumes of tests that were not medically necessary, part of a scheme that generated hundreds of millions of dollars in false claims.
Gray, who once started every game for UConn’s football team in 2007 and later signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent, was convicted of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, along with multiple anti-kickback violations and money laundering charges.
Authorities said the operation centered on cardiovascular genetic tests that were marketed to Medicare beneficiaries regardless of medical need.
Investigators described a system in which marketers sought out seniors, obtained their personal information, and then tracked down their primary care doctors in what prosecutors called “doctor chasing.” Once the physicians were identified, they were allegedly pressured into approving testing orders.
Gray’s laboratories — Axis Professional Labs and Kingdom Health Laboratory — then billed Medicare for the procedures.
Prosecutors said the payments for referrals were disguised through fabricated invoices and mislabeled expenses, including charges for “marketing,” “software,” and even loans that did not exist.
The Justice Department said the labs submitted roughly $328 million in fraudulent claims, with Medicare paying out about $54 million.
Jurors were shown text messages between Gray and a co-conspirator that appeared to celebrate incoming payments.
“$ent, you should have it any minute if you don’t already. Get it?” one message read.
Gray responded, “Sorry I was filling my bathtub with ones. Yes lol.”
Officials said the tests were “medically unnecessary genetic tests designed to evaluate the risk of various cardiovascular diseases and conditions,” and that kickbacks were paid in exchange for DNA sample referrals and signed test orders.
Gray now faces up to 10 years in prison on each count. A sentencing date has not yet been set.
