John Dennis Michael Peyroux, age 58, of Slidell, Louisiana, was sentenced on January 26, 2026 for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 test kits that were not requested or otherwise ineligible for reimbursement. According to court documents, starting in November 2022, Peyroux conspired with others to purchase Medicare beneficiary information, including names, Medicare identification numbers, and clearly fabricated recordings of individuals posing as beneficiaries and “requesting” the test kits. He used that information to bill Medicare through his chiropractic clinic for test kits. On several occasions, he billed for beneficiaries who were already deceased, or were in hospice or inpatient care and therefore ineligible to receive OTC COVID-19 tests paid for by Medicare.
Peroux then misappropriated the credentials of a former nurse practitioner that worked for him and falsely listed the nurse practitioner as the referring provider on fraudulent claims, even though the employee did not treat the beneficiaries or order the tests. In total, in around six months, Peyroux allegedly billed Medicare approximately $3.3 million in false and fraudulent claims for OTC COVID-19 test kits through his clinic, for which Medicare reimbursed approximately $3.2 million. Under the terms of the plea agreement, he agreed to pay over $3.2 million in restitution to Medicare. The government also forfeited over $1 million seized from his bank accounts.