Telehealth Owner Gets 20 Years in $46.2 Million Medicare Fraud

Christopher Harwood, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., owner of telemedicine company TelevisitMD, was sentenced on October 23, 2026, to 20 years in prison for a Medicare fraud scheme, PJ Media reported, citing the Department of Justice.

Prosecutors said Harwood and associates pushed Medicare beneficiaries to accept genetic testing and orthotic braces they had no medical need for, then paid physicians to sign off on the orders without establishing a genuine doctor-patient relationship. The signed orders were sold to durable medical equipment suppliers, laboratories and marketers. Harwood also controlled more than one equipment supply business that billed Medicare for braces patients did not need.

The scheme generated $46.2 million in fraudulent billings, of which Medicare paid $17.9 million, according to the department. Harwood's personal take exceeded $10.4 million. He must pay $17,942,402 in restitution and forfeit $10,431,463.

Harwood entered a guilty plea in March 2026 to charges tied to health care fraud and wire fraud. The department said the scheme ran for more than six years.

The Justice Department's Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has charged over 6,200 defendants since 2007 in cases involving more than $45 billion in billings to federal health programs and private insurers.

This story was first reported by PJ Media.