Telemarketers Pushed Braces and Genetic Tests on Medicare Patients. The Telemedicine Owner Behind It Got 20 Years

Published Oct. 26, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

The call usually starts with a friendly question: Do you have back or knee pain? Would you like a free brace, or a free genetic test to check your cancer risk, at no cost to you because Medicare covers it? For years, federal prosecutors say, calls like that fed a telemedicine operation that billed Medicare for tens of millions of dollars in equipment and tests patients did not need.

On Oct. 23, 2026, the owner of that operation, Christopher Harwood, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was sentenced to 20 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay $17,942,402 in restitution to Medicare and $10,431,463 in forfeiture, the Justice Department announced [1].

How the scheme worked

According to court documents described by the Justice Department [1], Harwood owned and operated a telemedicine company called TelevisitMD. The scheme spanned more than six years and worked like this:

1. Aggressive telemarketing. Harwood and his co-conspirators targeted Medicare patients through telemarketing campaigns, persuading them to accept orthotic braces and genetic tests they did not need.
2. Paid doctors, no real exams. Harwood paid doctors to approve orders for the braces and tests. Those doctors did not follow Medicare's rules for telemedicine visits, had no real medical relationship with the patients, and often signed orders without any meaningful interaction with them.
3. Selling the orders. Harwood sold the signed doctors' orders to durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies, laboratories and marketers who were part of the scheme.
4. Billing Medicare directly. Harwood also owned and operated several Florida-based DME supply companies that he used to bill Medicare millions of dollars for braces patients did not want or need.

In total, the Justice Department says, Harwood caused $46.2 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. Medicare paid $17.9 million on those claims, and Harwood personally profited by more than $10.4 million [1].

For patients, the harm goes beyond taxpayer losses. Unnecessary braces and tests can be billed under a beneficiary's Medicare number, and a fraudulent claim on a patient's record can complicate legitimate care later.

The person convicted and his status

Christopher Harwood, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, owner and operator of TelevisitMD. In March 2026, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. On Oct. 23, 2026, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison and ordered to pay $17,942,402 in restitution and $10,431,463 in forfeiture [1].

The release refers to "co-conspirators," including doctors, DME companies, laboratories and marketers, but does not name any of them. We have not named anyone else in connection with this case.

The announcement came from Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division; U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI Miami Field Office; and Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda Bennett of HHS-OIG. The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated, and Trial Attorney Owen Dunn of the Fraud Division's Health Care Fraud Section prosecuted the case [1].

Red flags of Medicare brace and genetic test scams

• An unsolicited call, text or ad offering a "free" back, knee, shoulder or wrist brace, or a "free" genetic or cancer-screening test.
• A "doctor" you've never met who approves equipment after a brief phone call, or with no conversation at all.
• Requests for your Medicare number from anyone other than your own doctor, pharmacy or insurer.
• Packages you didn't order, such as braces or test kits delivered to your door.
• Charges on your Medicare Summary Notice for equipment, tests or providers you don't recognize.

What to do if you've been targeted

1. Hang up on unsolicited callers offering free medical equipment or tests. Medicare does not call to sell you products.
2. Guard your Medicare number like a credit card. Give it only to providers you know and trust.
3. Check your Medicare Summary Notices or your account at Medicare.gov for items you didn't receive or approve.
4. Refuse or return unordered items, and keep any packaging and paperwork.
5. Report suspected fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE, to the HHS Office of Inspector General at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud, and to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Case status (as of Oct. 26, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Christopher Harwood, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., owner of TelevisitMD	U.S. District Court, S.D. Fla.	Pleaded guilty March 2026 to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; sentenced Oct. 23, 2026, to 20 years in prison; $17,942,402 restitution; $10,431,463 forfeiture	[1]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Telemedicine Company Owner Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for $46M Medicare Fraud Scheme," Press Release 26-1253, Oct. 23, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/telemedicine-company-owner-sentenced-20-years-prison-46m-medicare-fraud-scheme

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