Woman allegedly used late Saints player's name to steal $60K from NFL healthcare program
NEW ORLEANS - A woman who had a child with former Saints player Norman Hand and helped run a non-profit in his name is accused of using her ties to the now-deceased athlete to defraud an NFL healthcare program out of thousands of dollars.
Louisiana State Police announced the arrest of Toni Charles, 53, on Thursday. Charles is mother to Hand's son, who was 6 years old at the time of his father's death in 2010.
Charles is accused of using her son to defraud the Gene Upshaw NFL Player Reimbursement Account Plan, a program used to pay back former football players and their families for medical expenses not covered by insurance. Investigators said Charles submitted false claims for medical treatments purportedly received by her son totaling $60,000.
The Player Trust Fund reimbursed her for all of it.
Charles is one of numerous people, including former Saints wide receiver Joe Horn, implicated in the investigation uncovering the abuse of the program.
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Charles turned herself in Thursday and was booked on charges of theft and forgery.