SEC Charges Cannabis Pill Company with $2 Million Securities Fraud -
On September 28, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged a California-based cannabis company C3 International, Inc. (“C3”) and its...more
The New York Attorney General’s office announced that drugmaker Endo Health Solutions has agreed to pay $50 million dollars to resolve a lawsuit brought by the state of New York as well as two New York counties alleging that...more
A group of New Jersey home health care companies (collectively, the BAYADA Companies), have agreed to pay $17 million to resolve claims that they violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute.
Home Health Agency...more
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
In a unanimous opinion, the DC Circuit reversed a successful challenge brought by UnitedHealth (United) and other Medicare Advantage insurers to vacate a Medicare Advantage Overpayment Rule. The Overpayment Rule requires that...more
On August 11, 2021, Sheng-Wen Cheng was sentenced to 72 months in prison for his alleged participation in multiple schemes related to Covid-19 pandemic loan fraud and securities fraud.
Taiwanese National, Self-Proclaimed...more
8/16/2021
/ Bank Fraud ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
FIRREA ,
Fraud ,
Insurance Fraud ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
SBA ,
Sentencing ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Tax Fraud ,
Wire Fraud
On July 26, 2021, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), introduced the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021, a bill that would amend the False Claims Act (FCA) in several ways.
Four key...more
On August 2, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Arriva Medical LLC (Arriva), once the nation’s largest Medicare mail-order diabetic testing supplier, and its parent company, Alere Inc., have agreed to...more
8/9/2021
/ Bribery ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Healthcare ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicare ,
Money Laundering ,
Patients ,
Publicly-Traded Companies ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Settlement
On Monday, Senator Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, introduced the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021, section 2 of which would provide that defendants “may rebut an argument of materiality” as to an allegedly false claim submitted...more
8/2/2021
/ Charles Grassley ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Investigations ,
Materiality ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Qui Tam ,
Settlement ,
Universal Health Services Inc v United States ex rel Escobar ,
Whistleblowers
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
A regional hospital system in Akron, Ohio, Akron General Health System (AGHS) reached a $21.25 million settlement over allegations that an improper physician referral arrangement violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, Physician...more
After an eight-day trial, a federal jury convicted four California residents for their scheme to submit fraudulent loan applications seeking millions of dollars in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury...more
7/2/2021
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Bank Fraud ,
Consent Order ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Deutsche Bank ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Popular ,
Relief Measures ,
SBA ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Spoofing ,
Wire Fraud
On June 15, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a False Claims Act (FCA) suit against Paksn Inc., Prema Thekkek and one of its owners, and seven skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) owned by Thekkek and/or operated by...more
6/18/2021
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Embezzlement ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) ,
Fraud ,
Insider Trading ,
Kickbacks ,
Medical Directors ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
Wire Fraud
The owner of Campbell Medical Clinic in Houston and her medical group agreed to resolve fraudulent billing allegations for $2.6 million.
Chiropractor Agrees to Pay $2.6 Million and to 10-Year Exclusion from Federal Health...more
On May 21, 2021, SavaSeniorCare LLC and several of its affiliates, which own and operate skilled nursing facilities across the country, agreed to pay $11.2 million to resolve claims that the companies billed Medicare for...more
6/1/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Integrity Agreement ,
Defense Production Act ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Medicaid ,
Medical Reimbursement Plans ,
Medicare ,
OIG ,
Provider Relief Fund ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Skilled Nursing Facility ,
USPTO
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
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
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
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)
Supreme Court Declines to Review Issue of “Objective Falsity” Under False Claims Act -
On February 22, 2021, the United States Supreme Court denied petitions for certiorari in a case that could have addressed the issue of...more
3/1/2021
/ Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Hospice ,
Investment Fraud ,
Objective Falsity ,
Qui Tam ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Whistleblowers
French Concrete Contractor to Pay $3.9 Million FCA Penalty -
On February 17, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a French company, COLAS Djibouti SARL, agreed to pay $3.9 million to resolve allegations...more
2/22/2021
/ Bribery ,
CMBS ,
Contractors ,
Criminal Penalties ,
Deferred Prosecution Agreements ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Destruction of Evidence ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
France ,
Internal Controls ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Subcontractors ,
Wire Fraud