Eight Braces for One Patient: Oklahoma Chiropractor Gets 14 Years in $30 Million Medicare, TRICARE and CHAMPVA Fraud

Published Oct. 14, 2026. Case status is current as of that date.

The call usually sounds harmless. Someone on the phone says you qualify for a free back brace, knee brace or glucose monitor, and all they need is your Medicare number. Federal prosecutors say that pitch fed a scheme that billed Medicare, TRICARE and the VA's CHAMPVA program more than $30 million for equipment that patients "did not want or need" [1].

Dr. Mark Loftis, 39, of Cushing, Oklahoma, a chiropractor and business owner, was sentenced on Oct. 8, 2026, to 14 years in prison, the U.S. Department of Justice announced [1]. U.S. District Judge Paul G. Byron of the Middle District of Florida imposed the sentence. He also ordered Loftis to pay more than $8 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $560,000, Stars and Stripes reported [2].

Status note: A jury convicted Loftis in July 2026 after a 12-day trial, and he has now been sentenced. We found no report of whether he plans to appeal.

How the scheme worked

According to court documents and trial evidence summarized by the Justice Department [1]:

1. A supply company with hidden owners. Loftis and his co-conspirators did not tell Medicare who owned and managed the durable medical equipment (DME) company Back Pain Home Supplies LLC, which did business as EZ Medical Supply. They also hid that unenrolled entities were billing claims through it.
2. Buying patients. Loftis paid more than $1 million in illegal kickbacks, including through a shell marketing company. The money went to marketers, purported telemedicine companies and a call center that "persuaded elderly and disabled Americans to disclose their personal information and receive DME they did not need."
3. Buying prescriptions. They purchased "sham doctors' orders" for orthotic braces, continuous glucose monitors and other equipment. Those orders were generated by telemedicine doctors and nurse practitioners "who never examined, and often never spoke to, the beneficiaries."
4. Billing in bulk. They often billed for several braces at once. In one example, they billed for eight braces for a single beneficiary.

In total, Loftis and his co-conspirators submitted more than $30 million in false and fraudulent claims and were paid more than $8 million [1].

"Yesterday's 14-year sentence shows that health care fraud does not pay," said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division. "The Department is committed to bringing to justice those who corrupt our health care system by paying illegal kickbacks, submitting false claims, deceiving programs that serve our seniors, service members, and veterans, and treating sensitive patient information like a commodity to be bought and sold" [1].

"Healthcare fraud drains millions of dollars from federally funded programs, and we all pay the price," said Special Agent in Charge Rodney Crawford of the FBI Tampa Field Office [1].

Why it matters to patients

Fraud like this does more than drain taxpayer money. Patients whose Medicare numbers are used for unneeded equipment can end up with false entries in their medical records. They may also have trouble getting a brace or monitor covered later, when they actually need one. And the personal information collected by call centers can be resold. McDonald referred to that when he spoke of "treating sensitive patient information like a commodity to be bought and sold" [1].

The person convicted

Dr. Mark Loftis, 39, of Cushing, Okla., a chiropractor and owner of Back Pain Home Supplies LLC (dba EZ Medical Supply) [1][2]

• Court: U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (Judge Paul G. Byron) [2].
• Convicted: conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, after a 12-day jury trial that ended in July 2026.
• Sentenced: Oct. 8, 2026, to 14 years in prison. He was also ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution and to forfeit more than $560,000.
• Co-conspirators: The Justice Department refers to co-conspirators but did not name any in its announcement.

The case was investigated by HHS-OIG, the FBI, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the VA Office of Inspector General. It was prosecuted by Assistant Deputy Chief Catherine Wagner and Trial Attorney Raymond Beckering III of the Health Care Fraud Section [1].

Red flags: medical equipment scams

• Unsolicited calls, texts or ads offering "free" or "no-cost" braces, glucose monitors, genetic tests or other equipment.
• A "doctor" or "nurse" who approves equipment by phone or video without examining you, or whom you never speak to at all.
• Boxes of equipment you didn't order arriving at your door.
• Medicare Summary Notices or TRICARE/CHAMPVA statements showing equipment or services you never received.
• Requests for your Medicare, TRICARE or VA ID number from anyone other than your own doctor or pharmacy.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Hang up on cold callers offering medical equipment, and never give out your Medicare or military health ID number.
2. Review your statements. Check your Medicare Summary Notice or Explanation of Benefits for items you don't recognize.
3. Refuse or return equipment you didn't order, and tell your own doctor.
4. Report it:
   • Medicare fraud: the HHS-OIG hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) or oig.hhs.gov, or 1-800-MEDICARE.
   • TRICARE fraud: the Defense Health Agency's program integrity office.
   • CHAMPVA fraud: the VA OIG hotline.

Case status (as of Oct. 14, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 14, 2026	Source
Dr. Mark Loftis, 39, Cushing, Okla.	U.S. District Court, M.D. Fla.	Convicted by jury (July 2026) of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; sentenced Oct. 8, 2026, to 14 years in prison, more than $8 million restitution and more than $560,000 forfeiture; no appeal reported	[1], [2], [3]

Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Medical Supply Company Owner Sentenced to 14 Years in Prison for $30M Medicare, TRICARE, and CHAMPVA Fraud," Oct. 9, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/medical-supply-company-owner-sentenced-14-years-prison-30m-medicare-tricare-and-champva
2. Rose L. Thayer, "Chiropractor sentenced to 14 years in prison for scheme to take millions from Tricare, VA health insurance," Stars and Stripes, Oct. 9, 2026. https://www.stripes.com/theaters/us/2026-10-09/chiropractor-sentenced-tricare-fraud-23103800.html
3. Kimberly Querry-Thompson, "Oklahoma chiropractor gets 14 years in $30M Medicare, TRICARE fraud scheme," KOKH Fox 25, Oct. 9, 2026. https://okcfox.com/news/local/oklahoma-chiropractor-gets-14-years-in-30m-medicare-tricare-fraud-scheme

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