Brett Blackman

Brett Blackman
Born:	Johnson County, Kansas
Charges:	Conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud; Conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks; Conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make false statements in connection with health care matters
Sentence:
Facility:
Status:	Convicted, awaiting sentencing

Brett Blackman is an American businessman who founded and served as chief executive officer of HealthSplash, a health care software company. On May 14, 2026, a federal jury in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida convicted him of three conspiracy counts tied to a Medicare fraud scheme that billed federal health care programs more than $1 billion.

The case centered on an internet-based platform called Power Mobility Doctor Rx, LLC, known as DMERx. HealthSplash acquired DMERx in September 2017. Prosecutors said the platform generated false doctors' orders and prescriptions for durable medical equipment, including orthotic braces that beneficiaries did not need. The orders carried the appearance of a genuine doctor's examination. In many cases the signing physician never spoke to the patient at all. Telemedicine companies were paid to sign. The equipment was then billed to Medicare and other federal programs.

Federal programs were billed more than $1 billion under the scheme. They paid out more than $450 million. Blackman was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make false statements in connection with health care matters. He awaits sentencing. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2026. He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the health care and wire fraud conspiracy count, plus five years on each of the two remaining counts.

Background

Brett Blackman was 42 years old at the time of his conviction. He is from Johnson County, Kansas.

Blackman founded HealthSplash and served as its owner and chief executive. The company operated as a health care software business. Court records describe Blackman as the person who owned, controlled, and ran it. The conduct underlying the case stretched from at least 2015 through 2020. It touched several states. Prosecutors said the operation ran in and around South Florida, including Miami-Dade County, as well as in Kansas and Arizona.

HealthSplash and the Scheme

In September 2017, HealthSplash acquired Power Mobility Doctor Rx, LLC. The company went by DMERx. It was an internet-based platform. Its function, according to the Justice Department, was to generate false and fraudulent doctors' orders for durable medical equipment and prescriptions for other items.

The platform sat at the center of a network. On one side were pharmacies, durable medical equipment suppliers, and marketers. On the other were telemedicine companies. DMERx connected them. The telemedicine companies accepted illegal kickbacks and bribes in exchange for signed doctors' orders. The orders were then used to bill Medicare and other federal health care programs.

The orders and prescriptions generated through DMERx stated that a physician had examined and treated the beneficiary. That representation was false. Prosecutors said the doctors were paid to sign. They signed without regard to medical necessity. In some instances there was no interaction with the beneficiary at all.

Reaching beneficiaries required volume. The scheme targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries. Co-conspirators used overseas call centers and mailers to reach seniors and press them to accept orthotic braces and other equipment. The items were medically unnecessary. The signed orders made them look otherwise. The bills went to Medicare.

Federal programs were billed more than $1 billion. They paid more than $450 million on those bills.

A co-conspirator, Gary Cox, was convicted in an earlier proceeding. Cox was sentenced to 15 years in prison.

Trial and Conviction

Blackman was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The jury returned its verdict on May 14, 2026. It convicted him on all three conspiracy counts.

The counts were conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make false statements in connection with health care matters.

Trial Attorneys Darren C. Halverson and Reginald Cuyler Jr. of the Justice Department Criminal Division's Fraud Section prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

After the verdict, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the conduct as "cold, calculated, industrial-scale theft targeting the sick and elderly."

Awaiting Sentencing

Blackman has been convicted. He has not been sentenced. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2026, before the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

The statutory maximums set the outer bound of what the court may impose. The conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud count carries a maximum of 20 years in prison. Each of the remaining two counts carries a maximum of five years. A federal district judge determines the actual sentence. The judge weighs the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, the facts of the case, and the factors set out in 18 U.S.C. § 3553(a). The statutory maximum is a ceiling, not the expected term.

As of June 2026, Blackman has not been designated to a Bureau of Prisons facility. Defendants in federal cases are generally not designated until after sentencing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Who is Brett Blackman?

Brett Blackman is the founder and former chief executive officer of HealthSplash, a health care software company. On May 14, 2026, a federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted him of three conspiracy counts in a Medicare fraud scheme that billed federal health care programs more than $1 billion. He is awaiting sentencing.

Q: What was Brett Blackman convicted of?

A federal jury convicted Blackman of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make false statements in connection with health care matters. The verdict was returned on May 14, 2026.

Q: Has Brett Blackman been sentenced?

No. Blackman was convicted on May 14, 2026, but has not been sentenced. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 26, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida.

Q: How much prison time does Brett Blackman face?

He faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison on the conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud count, plus a maximum of five years on each of the two remaining counts. The actual sentence will be determined by the court at the August 26, 2026 hearing and may be less than the maximum.

Q: What was the HealthSplash and DMERx scheme?

HealthSplash acquired an internet platform called DMERx (Power Mobility Doctor Rx, LLC) in September 2017. Prosecutors said the platform generated false doctors' orders and prescriptions for durable medical equipment, including unnecessary orthotic braces. Telemedicine companies were paid kickbacks to sign orders for patients they never examined. The equipment was billed to Medicare.

Q: How much money was involved?

Federal health care programs were billed more than $1 billion under the scheme. They paid out more than $450 million on those claims.

Q: Who were Brett Blackman's co-conspirators?

A co-conspirator named Gary Cox was convicted in an earlier proceeding and sentenced to 15 years in prison. The Justice Department said Blackman worked with other co-conspirators, including telemedicine companies, marketers, pharmacies, and durable medical equipment suppliers.

Q: Which court handled the Brett Blackman case?

The case was tried in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The case was prosecuted by the Justice Department Criminal Division's Fraud Section and investigated by HHS-OIG, the FBI, the VA Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service.

Q: Where is Brett Blackman from?

Blackman is from Johnson County, Kansas. He was 42 years old at the time of his conviction. The fraud conduct spanned South Florida, Kansas, and Arizona between at least 2015 and 2020.