Philadelphia Union TV analyst Peter Pappas pleaded guilty Tuesday after receiving nearly $500,000 for filling unnecessary prescriptions for himself while also recruiting others to join his scheme.
Pappas pleaded guilty to “conspiracy to commit health fraud” in a federal court in Newark, New Jersey. Along with being the Union’s TV analyst, Pappas is also a pharmaceutical salesman.
Pappas admitted that he recruited others to join the scheme, including people using a health benefit program for service members and their families managed by the U.S. Department of Defense. He admitted that he attempted to recruit beneficiaries from TRICARE because they gave high reimbursements for compounded medication and cream, federal prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said that while he received $481,773 from the marketing company, his employer, TRICARE and other insurance companies lost at least $3.69 million. Pappas faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Oct. 25.
Pappas was a goalkeeper for the shuttered Philadelphia Kixx indoor soccer team before joining the Union as the team’s TV analyst in 2013.
The Union haven’t responded to any requests for comment yet. The current play-by-play broadcaster for the Union is well known soccer announcer JP Dellacamera, who teamed with Pappas for the last two seasons.
