Fighting fraud has been a priority of the federal government for hundreds of years. The False Claims Act, originally passed in 1863, imposes legal liability on anyone who tries to defraud the federal government. Those committing fraud against the federal government may be liable for three times the government’s...
The Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), created as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, is a crucial Covid-19 relief effort. Because the program is vulnerable to fraud whistleblowers are key to ensuring that taxpayers are not defrauded. The PPP gives monetary assistance to...
Last week, the US Department of Justice announced its first civil settlement of False Claims Act allegations against a PPP borrower. We are likely to see more PPP fraud cases under the new administration, particularly because new funds are being made available to distressed businesses as part of the...
Doctors, pharmacies, and pharmaceutical companies can make millions of dollars through prescription drug fraud. These schemes cost the taxpayers money because many drugs are paid for by government programs like Medicare or Medicaid and can hurt people everywhere by making insurance and health care more expensive for everyone. Whistleblowers are...
State and federal laws provide robust protections to whistleblowers. However, you cannot use these laws if you cannot keep yourself safe. Your safety and security should always be a whistleblower attorney’s top priority. Here are some tips about how to safely blow the whistle. Confidentially Talk to a Civil...
Certain whistleblower laws require the whistleblower to show that they provided non-public information in order to receive a whistleblower award. This requirement leads many prospective whistleblowers to ask whether they can be a whistleblower after being fired. A fired employee can be a whistleblower. In fact, fired employees are sometimes...
On January 12, the Department of Justice announced that it had entered into a settlement with Washington-based Insitu, Inc. related to claims brought by a False Claims Act whistleblower. D R O’Hara sued Insitu, Inc. under the False Claims Act, which allows whistleblowers to sue companies for false claims...
On December 18, the Justice Department announced that drug company Biogen, Inc., agreed to pay $22 million to settle a False Claims Act case related to Medicare fraud. Charities Used to Hide Copay Kickbacks When a Medicare patient buys a prescription drug covered by Medicare, they may have to...
A study conducted by the Ethics Resource Center found that 62 million Americans have witnessed fraud or misconduct at work. Whistleblowers are key to combatting this widespread corporate corruption. Many people who see corporate wrongdoing rightfully fear that speaking up will cost them their jobs and livelihoods. This is a...
On December 9, the Los Angeles Times published a bombshell investigation exposing a huge increase in health care fraud at hospices in California. Los Angeles County is home to the largest number of hospice providers in the country. Unfortunately, many of these providers don’t have the best interests of their patients at heart....