Brett Blackman, 43, of Johnson County, Kansas, was sentenced to 19 years in prison on October 14, 2026, for running a software platform that produced fake doctors’ orders for medical braces. The platform billed Medicare and other federal health programs more than $1 billion, and more than $450 million of that was paid. The braces were billed for more than 346,000 people.
The Justice Department announced the sentence in a release dated October 15, 2026. Blackman owned and led a company called HealthSplash, which bought the platform, known as DMERx, in September 2017.
What billed and paid mean here
The two big numbers measure different things. Over $1 billion is what was billed to Medicare and other federal programs. More than $450 million is what Medicare and other insurers actually paid on those claims.
The 346,000 figure counts beneficiaries for whom braces were billed, about four per person on average. It is not a count of people who complained or lost their own money. At least 21 orthotics were billed for each of more than 1,200 beneficiaries.
For anyone on Medicare, that is the question the case leaves open. A claim can be filed under a Medicare number without the beneficiary ordering, receiving or hearing about braces, and the release does not say how many of the 346,000 knew. Anyone who has ever answered a telemarketing call about back, knee or wrist braces has a reason to look at their claims.
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How the platform turned out the orders, and what is still open
DMERx was an internet-based platform that generated doctors’ orders for durable medical equipment, such as the braces at the center of this case. Prosecutors say the orders were not real medical decisions. Telemedicine doctors were paid to sign them with little or no contact with the patient, and some orders claimed in-person tests that never happened.
Pharmacies, equipment suppliers and marketers paid kickbacks to telemedicine companies for signed orders, and Blackman’s group took a cut, according to the Justice Department. The scheme was hidden with sham contracts and by editing orders to remove telemedicine references, so that Medicare audits would not catch it.
A jury convicted Blackman after a 23-day trial that ended in April 2026 on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division called it “one of the largest telemedicine fraud schemes ever.”
Restitution and forfeiture have not been set. The court will decide both at a later date, so how much Blackman must pay back is not known yet. A co-defendant, Gary Cox, was sentenced to 15 years in December 2025.
The case was investigated by the Health and Human Services inspector general, the FBI, the Veterans Affairs inspector general and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and prosecuted by lawyers in the Justice Department’s Health Care Fraud Section.
How to check claims for braces nobody ordered
Medicare’s own advice is to look at claims regularly and compare them with personal records. On Medicare.gov’s fraud reporting page, the program says to match the dates and services on a calendar against the Medicare statements, confirm that each listed service was received and that the details are correct, and call the provider’s office about any charge that looks wrong.
A secure Medicare.gov account shows Original Medicare claims “as soon as they’re processed.” Medicare also says not to share a Medicare card or number with anyone except a doctor or people who should have it, such as insurers acting for the beneficiary or State Health Insurance Assistance Program staff.
A claim that does not belong can be reported by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227) or online through the inspector general. People with a Medicare Advantage plan or a Medicare drug plan can call 1-877-7SAFERX (1-877-772-3379), the fraud line Medicare lists for those plans.
The brace pitch to hang up on, and where to report it
The Inspector General’s office has long warned about brace schemes. Its consumer alert on a nationwide brace scam, which carries a 2019 update date, says scammers offer braces described as free and covered by Medicare, reaching people by phone or through TV and radio ads that ask viewers to call a number.
If a beneficiary confirms Medicare or personal information, a brace is sent even when none was requested or medically necessary, often several of them, and Medicare is billed for each. The warning signs are an unsolicited call offering a free brace, a request for a Medicare number from anyone other than a physician’s office, and equipment that arrives without being ordered. The alert says to hang up, refuse or return unrequested equipment, and have a doctor the person knows and trusts approve any equipment.
The Health and Human Services inspector general, one of the agencies that investigated Blackman’s scheme, takes tips online at tips.oig.hhs.gov or by phone at 1-800-HHS-TIPS, according to its report fraud page. It asks for the name and contact details of the person or business involved, a short account of what happened, when and how it was learned, the names of anyone who can back it up, and any records, such as billing statements or emails.
The same page says the inspector general rarely steps in on personal or civil grievances, so a beneficiary who wants a charge reversed or a refund from a provider should expect to pursue that separately. The Senior Medicare Patrol, a network that helps beneficiaries prevent, detect and report health care fraud, lists a toll-free line at 877-808-2468 and a locator for each state.
Could braces nobody ordered be billed to a Medicare number?
A billing scheme like this one starts with a Medicare number and a few personal details, and it leaves a claim history that someone has to straighten out. The OIG’s brace alert warns that a Medicare number handed to a stranger may be used in other fraud schemes too.
The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit does not read Medicare claims. It is for the next step, locking down what is left, with the free credit-freeze steps and a first-hour plan for when a scam touches a senior’s records. It also includes a fraud evidence and report log for keeping track of who was called and when.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
