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... Read more about the False Claims Act
Lynch Ambulance has agreed to pay more than $3 million to settle a lawsuit, under the False Claims Act, alleging it received overpayments from the Medicare program and other federal health care programs for transporting patients who were not eligible for ambulance transports, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced last month.
Allegedly, Lynch Ambulance knowingly billed Medicare and other federal healthcare programs for transporting patients who were not “bed-confined” or whose... full text
A federal jury has found that JM Eagle, the nation’s largest manufacturer of plastic pipe, violated the False Claims Act when it knowingly sold defective pipes to states and municipalities for use in drinking water, firefighting, irrigation and other public systems, the New York Times reported.
JM Eagle, formerly J-M Manufacturing, allegedly cut costs by using shoddy manufacturing practices to create weaker but more profitable polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, and lied about whether or not... full text
Caremark LLC (Caremark) has agreed to pay the government more than $4.2 million to settle allegations, under the False Claims Act, that they knowingly failed to reimburse Medicaid for prescription drug costs, the Justice Department announced earlier this week. Caremark is operated by CVS Caremark Corp., one of the largest pharmacy benefit management (PBM) company and retail pharmacies in the country.
Caremark served as the PBM for private health plans that insured a number of individuals... full text
Several California companies and individuals that formerly supplied beef to the National School Lunch Program have agreed to settle allegations, under the False Claims Act, of inhumane handling of cattle, circumventing appropriate inspection of non-ambulatory disabled (“downer”) cattle and false representations regarding their eligibility to process beef, the Justice Department announced last week.
The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) alleges that Westland Meat Co.,... full text
Vantage Oncology LLC (Vantage) has agreed to pay the government more than $2.08 million to settle allegations, under the False Claims Act, that it knowingly submitted false claims to Medicare for radiation oncology services, the Justice Department announced last week.
The government alleged that Vantage double billed and overbilled Medicare for certain procedures, billed for services that lacked supporting documentation and improperly billed for radiation treatment provided to patients... full text
Basco Manufacturing Co. (Basco) has agreed to pay $1.1 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by making false customs declarations to avoid paying duties on products imported from the PRC (People’s Republic of China), the Department of Justice announced last week.
The U.S. government alleged that Basco made false declarations to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Customs and Border Protection to avoid paying antidumping and countervailing duties on... full text
Baptist Health Systems has agreed to pay $3.7 million to the United States Department of Justice to settle allegations that it violated the federal False Claims Act by filing false claims for reimbursement under the Medicare program, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced earlier this week.
Baptist Health Systems allegedly filed improper claims with the Medicare program by failing to disclose on the claim that the patient receiving treatment had another insurance policy that covered... full text
Iraqi Consultants and Construction Bureau (ICCB) has agreed to pay the U.S. $2.7 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by bribing a U.S. government official to obtain U.S. government contracts in Iraq, the Department of Justice announced earlier this month.
The government alleged that ICCB, a privately owned construction company headquartered in Baghdad, Iraq, paid bribes to an Army Corps of Engineers procurement official, John Markus, to obtain information... full text
The Ensign Group Inc. (Ensign) has agreed to pay $48 million to resolve allegations, under the False Claims Act, that it knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary rehabilitation therapy services, the Justice Department announced today.
Ensign, a skilled nursing provider, allegedly submitted false claims to the government for physical, occupational and speech therapy services provided to Medicare beneficiaries that were not medically... full text
FreshPoint Inc. has agreed to pay $4.2 million to resolve allegations, under the False Claims Act, that it overcharged the Department of Defense for fresh fruit and vegetables purchased under 15 separate contracts, the Justice Department announced today.
FreshPoint, a food distribution company and wholly owned subsidiary of Sysco Corp., allegedly overcharged the government on hundreds of sales of fresh fruit and vegetables by improperly inflating its prices to the government. The... full text
