The owner of a US telemedicine company has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for orchestrating a $46.2 million Medicare fraud scheme involving unnecessary medical braces and genetic tests.

Christopher Harwood, 44, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was also ordered to pay $17.9 million in restitution to Medicare and forfeit $10.4 million in proceeds from the fraud.

According to the US Department of Justice, Harwood operated TelevisitMD and paid doctors to approve medical orders without proper consultations or meaningful interactions with patients. He then sold the orders to medical equipment suppliers, laboratories and marketers, while using his own supply companies to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare.

The scheme generated $46.2 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid approximately $17.9 million. Harwood pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud in March 2026.

The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General investigated the case.