False Claims Act and Whistleblower News

The False Claims Act enables a private citizen with unique knowledge of fraud committed against the federal government (such as health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud) to file a lawsuit under seal (not accessible to the public) seeking treble (triple the amount) damages on behalf of the government...
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recent posts - false claims act (FCA)

October 10, 2014
Extendicare Health Services has agreed to pay $38 million to the federal government and eight state governments to resolve allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for worthless nursing services and medically unreasonable and unnecessary rehabilitation therapy services, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.  Extendicare, through its subsidiaries, operates 146 skilled nursing facilities in 11 states. ... full text
October 8, 2014
DRS Technical Services Inc. has agreed to pay $13.7 million to settle allegations that it knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the federal government in connection with work performed by DRS personnel who lacked the job qualifications required by contract, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. DRS designs, integrates, operates and maintains satellite and wireless network solutions and telecommunication services and security systems for government and private... full text
September 26, 2014
Caremark L.L.C., operated by CVS Caremark Corporation, has agreed to pay the U.S. federal government $6 million to settle allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicaid for prescription drug beneficiaries who were eligible for drug benefits under Medicaid-administered private health plans, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today. When an individual is covered by both Medicaid and a private health plan, the individual is called a... full text
September 24, 2014
Pennsylvania-based Shire Pharmaceuticals LLC has agreed to pay $56.5 million to resolve allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicaid, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.  Shire manufactures and sells pharmaceuticals, including Adderall XR, Vyvanse, and Daytrana, which are approved for the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and Pentasa and Lialda, which are approved for the treatment of mild to... full text
September 19, 2014
M.K. Battery and its parent company, East Penn Manufacturing, have agreed to pay $5.5 million to resolve allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the Department of Defense, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported earlier this week. M.K. Battery produced backup batteries that operate Humvee turrets in the event that the engine gives out.  The lawsuit alleged that the manufacturing process was changed and cut the battery’s lifespan in... full text
September 17, 2014
Maryland-based Episcopal Ministries to the Aging Inc. (EMA) has agreed to pay $1.3 million to the federal government to settle allegations that the nonprofit knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for unreasonable or unnecessary rehabilitation therapy provided by one of its subsidiaries, the U.S. Department of Justice announced earlier this week. EMA allegedly submitted false claims for rehabilitation therapy at William Hill Manor, a skilled nursing facility... full text
September 10, 2014
The U.S. federal government has filed two complaints against a Michigan neurosurgeon (Dr. Aria Sabit), a spinal implant company (Reliance Medical Systems), two of that company’s distributorships (Apex Medical Technologies and Kronos Spinal Technologies), and the company’s owners (Brett Berry, John Hoffman, and Adam Pike), the U.S. Department of Justice announced on Monday.  The complaints allege that Apex and Kronos paid physicians such as Sabit to induce them to use Reliance... full text
September 3, 2014
The United States federal government has elected to intervene in two whistleblower lawsuits that allege Evercare Hospice and Palliative Care, now known as Optum Palliative and Hospice Care, knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare, the U.S. Department of Justice announced last week. The Medicare hospice benefit is available for patients who elect palliative care (medical care focused on providing patients with relief from pain, symptoms or stress) for a terminal... full text
August 28, 2014
Bank of America Corporation has agreed to pay $16.65 billion to resolved federal and state claims against it and its former and current subsidiaries, the U.S. Department of Justice announced last week.  The bank has agreed to pay a $5 billion penalty under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act (FIRREA) – the largest FIRREA penalty ever – and provide billions of dollars of relief to struggling homeowners, including funds that will help defray tax... full text
August 25, 2014
The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) has agreed to pay $4.2 million to settle allegations that it knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims in connection with the use of federal funds to impermissibly award a contract, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia announced last week. The conduct at issue involves a contract that WMATA awarded to Metaformers, Inc., a Virginia-based business, to integrate the Authority’s financial... full text