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
President Obama today signed the Whistleblower Protection Enahncement Act into law. The law, which was passed by both houses of Congress by unanimous consent, expands the protections for federal workers to report misconduct, fraud and illegality, expands the penalties imposed for violating whistleblower protections, and establishes a Whistleblower Protection Ombudsmen in certain federal agencies.
The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take... full text
According to the Corporate Crime Reporter, federal and state whistleblower claims under the False Claims Act resulted in more than $9 billion in recoveries in 2012, more than double the amount in 2011. A single Medicaid HMO case in California was responsible for $300 million of that, according to the article, and of the 30 largest settlements, 28 were whistleblower-related.
The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take action under the... full text
A CVS subsidiary, RxAmerica, has agreed to a $5 million settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice based on allegations that they defrauded the Medicare prescription drug plan. RxAmerica allegedly received Medicare Part D payments for covered generic prescription medication at prices that were sometimes significantly higher than pricing data the company submitted to Medicare's web-based Plan Finder tool. This not only cost the Medicare program money, but also allegedly... full text
Yesterday, President Obama issued a Presidential Policy Directive to protect national security and intelligence community whistleblowers from retaliation for reporting violations law, gross waste or mismanagement, and abuse of authority, among other activities.
The Chanler Group, in association with the Hirst Law Group, represents whistleblowers who take action under the False Claims Act to report fraud committed against the federal and state governments. We have years of experience... full text
The New York Times today ran an article titled "The Price Whistle-Blowers Pay for Secrets," in which lawyers and government officials warn potential whistleblowers of the risks and pitfalls of, well, blowing the whistle. One lawyer is quoted in the article as saying, "You see a high degree of bankruptcies. You may find yourself unemployable. Home foreclosures, divorce, suicide, and depression all go with this territory."
Besides the emotional cost, the... full text
The U.S. Department of Justice celebrated the 25th anniversary of the 1986 amendments to the False Claims Act today. The False Claims Act has been called the single most important tool that American taxpayers have to recover funds when false claims are made to the federal government, including health care fraud, mortgage fraud, and procurement fraud.
“In the last quarter century, the False Claims Act’s success has been unparalleled with more than... full text
