COVID-19 Fraud Update: DOJ Prosecutes More than 150 Defendants, 95 Criminal Cases -
Since the inception of the CARES Act, DOJ’s Fraud Section has prosecuted over 150 defendants in over 95 criminal cases. The Fraud Section...more
9/30/2022
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Statements ,
Fraud ,
Genetic Testing ,
IRS ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Payroll Expenses
DOJ Indicts 47 Individuals in Largest COVID-19 Fraud Scheme To Date -
On September 20, 2022, the US Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced federal criminal charges against 47 defendants from the nonprofit, Feeding Our...more
9/23/2022
/ Compliance Monitoring ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
E-Cigarettes ,
Enforcement ,
False Documentation ,
FOIA ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
New Guidance ,
Reimbursements ,
USDA
Jury Orders Eli Lilly To Pay $61 Million -
A federal jury in Illinois found that, beginning around 2004, drug manufacturer Eli Lilly deliberately underpaid rebates to Medicare programs by excluding retroactive drug prices...more
8/8/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Falsified Documents ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Rebates ,
SBA ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Wire Fraud
Former CEO Indicted for Misleading Investors About COVID-19 Test Kits -
A federal grand jury in New Jersey indicted Marc Schessel—the former CEO of SCWorx Corp.—on two counts of securities fraud for allegedly misleading...more
Physician Partners of America Agrees To Pay $24.5 Million To Resolve False Claims Act Allegations -
Physician Partners of America LLC (PPOA), its founder, and its former chief medical officer agreed to pay $24.5 million to...more
Prosecutors Target Fake COVID-19 Immunization and Vaccination Cards -
In the first federal prosecution related to fraudulent vaccination cards and immunizations for the COVID-19 virus, a California neuropathic doctor, Juli...more
4/11/2022
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Drug Trafficking ,
False Statements ,
FBI ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
Opioid ,
SCOTUS ,
Vaccinations
DOJ Releases Highly Anticipated 2021 Fraud Report -
The DOJ released the Fraud Section's Year in Review for 2021 describing its 329 individual convictions, 30 trial wins, and eight corporate resolutions that yielded...more
Texas Man Arrested for Alleged COVID-19 Fraud Scheme -
Scott Davis of Harris County, Texas, was charged with wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering for allegedly fraudulently receiving over $3.3 million in Paycheck...more
CEO of Defunct Medical Testing Lab to Pay $1.1 Million to Settle FCA and AKS Case -
Jae Lee, the former CEO of defunct Northwest Physicians Laboratory (NWPL), agreed to pay $1.1 million to resolve allegations that he...more
10/22/2021
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
CARES Act ,
Contractors ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
False Statements ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicare ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
Settlement ,
TRICARE ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wire Fraud
In November 2018, then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions launched the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) China Initiative, to prevent, combat, and prosecute theft of intellectual property, technology, trade secrets, and other...more
9/16/2021
/ China ,
Confidential Information ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Dismissals ,
False Statements ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Popular ,
Proprietary Information ,
Trade Secrets ,
Wire Fraud
John Peter Smith Hospital (JPS) agreed to pay more than $3.3 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by upcoding hundreds of claims submitted to federal healthcare programs.
Texas Hospital to...more
US-based multinational medical device company, Avanos Medical Inc., entered into a deferred prosecution agreement and agreed to pay more than $22 million in connection with a criminal complaint charging the company with one...more
In addition to the ever-growing number of fraud charges brought in connection with the SBA’s PPP program, recent indictments issued across the country in connection with Covid-19 unemployment benefits and economic injury...more
6/7/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Popular ,
SBA ,
Unemployment Benefits ,
Wire Fraud
COVID-19 Task Force Established to Enhance Enforcement Efforts against Fraud -
On May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General announced the establishment of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force,...more
5/24/2021
/ Attorney General ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Falsified Documents ,
Fraud ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Medicaid ,
OIG ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
Vaccinations ,
Wire Fraud
Where’s the Beef? Two Charged with $650 Million Cattle Ponzi Scheme -
On May 12, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal district court in Colorado unsealed an indictment alleging that two individuals ran...more
5/17/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Investment Fraud ,
Investment Funds ,
Mergers ,
Misrepresentation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Public Comment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State and Local Government ,
Stock Prices
Pharmaceutical Company Agrees to Pay $12.6 Million to Settle FCA Allegations Involving Kickbacks -
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced a $12.6 million settlement with Incyte Corporation, a Delaware...more
5/10/2021
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Frivolous Lawsuits ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Money Laundering ,
Settlement ,
Telemarketing ,
TRICARE
Government Contractor Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Afghan Government of $100 Million -
The owner of Assist Consultants Incorporated (ACI), an Afghan company that has received over $250 million in US-funded contracts...more
5/3/2021
/ Afghanistan ,
Barbados ,
Bribery ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Tax Evasion ,
USAID
Court Rules Prescription Drug Event and Enrollee Encounter Data Are 'Claims for Payment' Under the False Claims Act -
US District Judge Noel L. Hillman approved a whistleblower’s request to file a Fourth Amended Complaint...more
4/26/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Fair Market Value ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Mail Fraud ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare Part A ,
Medicare Part D ,
Oil & Gas ,
Securities Fraud ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wire Fraud
Urgent Care Provider and Management Company to pay $22.5 Million to End FCA Claims -
South Carolina urgent care providers agreed to pay $22.5 million to resolve False Claims Act claims filed by two former employees. The...more
4/19/2021
/ Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Money Laundering ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Settlement ,
TRICARE ,
Whistleblowers ,
Wire Fraud
DOJ Updates Actions to Combat Fraud Related to COVID-19 -
On March 26, 2021, the Department of Justice provided an update on its criminal and civil enforcement efforts to combat fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic....more
Sixth Circuit Splits with Tenth, Holds False Claims Act Anti-Retaliation Provision Extends to Post-Employment Retaliation -
On March 31, 2021, the US Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit addressed an issue of first...more
Senior DOJ Official Michael Granston Discusses COVID Relief Enforcement, Granston Memo, and other FCA Issues -
Michael Granston, the Deputy Assistant Attorney General of the DOJ Civil Division, sat down this week with Jody...more
3/29/2021
/ Conflicts of Interest ,
Consumer Protection Laws ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraudulent Procurement ,
Kickbacks ,
Manufacturers ,
Medical Devices ,
OIG ,
Private Equity Funds ,
Relief Measures ,
The Granston Memo ,
Turkey ,
USAID
Judge Rules Against Seizure of $330 Million Allegedly Connected to 1MDB Fraud Scheme -
On March 9, California District Court Judge Dale S. Fischer ruled that the government could not seize about $330 million in assets...more
3/22/2021
/ FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Identity Theft ,
Kickbacks ,
Mail Fraud ,
Malaysia ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Money Laundering ,
Saudi Arabia ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Wire Fraud
Pharmacy Owner and Accountant Indicted in $134m Health Care Fraud Scheme -
Mohamed Mokbel and Fathy Elsafty, of Houston, Texas, were arrested on charges of money laundering, health care fraud, and conspiracy to commit...more
Individual Prosecutions Down But Corporate Resolutions Steady for DOJ’s Fraud Section in 2020, with More in the Pipeline -
The Department of Justice’s (“DOJ”) Fraud Section recently released a year-in-review report that...more
3/8/2021
/ Bribery ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Executive Orders ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Final Rules ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Opioid ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)