Medical Device Legal News with Sam Bernstein: Episode 14
The Justice Insiders: FIFA Corruption Trial – Will the Feds Score Another Goal?
Rob DeConti on the Latest Guidance and Insights from the OIG at HHS
In one of the few prosecutions based on the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), and in an even rarer Court of Appeals opinion interpreting the statute, the Ninth Circuit in United States v. Schena, No. 23-2989, 2025...more
On July 11, 2025, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the criminal conviction of laboratory operator Mark Schena for violations of the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act, 18 U.S.C. § 220 (EKRA) based on...more
On June 30, 2025, New York Attorney General (AG) Letitia James announced new lawsuits, criminal charges, and settlements with 25 New York transportation companies related to alleged schemes to defraud Medicaid of millions....more
Key Takeaways - First Appellate Interpretation of EKRA: The Ninth Circuit’s decision in United States v. Schena marks the first appellate court interpretation of the Eliminating Kickbacks in Recovery Act (EKRA), affirming...more
On December 4, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit heard oral arguments in USA v. Mark Sorensen, case number 24-1557, and it is now taking under advisement a case that could have widespread effects as to what...more
Florida Federal Judge Strikes Down FCA’s Qui Tam Provision as Unconstitutional - On September 30, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle of the Middle District of Florida held in a historic decision that the federal...more
The following is a summary of selected federal Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General (OIG) reports of fraud and abuse enforcement activity across the country. The enforcement actions reported...more
Hospital Executive and Three Physicians to Pay More Than $880,000 to Resolve Kickback Allegations - On Monday, December 4, 2023, a Lexington, Texas, hospital executive and three health care providers agreed to pay more...more
Nevada Man Sentenced to 51 Months Imprisonment for Prize-Notification Fraud Scheme - Earlier this week, a Nevada man was sentenced to 51 months in prison for perpetrating a prize-notification scheme that defrauded...more
Medical Marketer Convicted of $55 Million Fraud Scheme - Late last week, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted Quintan Cockerell for his role in a $55 million fraud conspiracy involving TRICARE, a...more
Lab Owner Sentenced to Over 16 Years for Health Care Fraud, Money Laundering - On September 26, 2023, a US District Judge for the Western District of North Carolina sentenced a Charlotte lab owner, Donald Booker, to over...more
Walgreens Medicaid Fraud Case Kicked Back to Trial Court - On August 15, 2023, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit issued an opinion reversing a district judge’s dismissal of False Claims Act (FCA) claims...more
DOJ Enters Into DPAs with Former Deerfield Traders and CMS Consultant - On July 24, 2023, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) entered into deferred prosecution agreements with Theodore Huber and Robert Olan, former traders...more
This issue of McDermott’s Healthcare Regulatory Check-Up highlights significant regulatory activity for March 2023. We discuss several criminal and civil enforcement actions that involve Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS) and...more
$31 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Results in Two Convictions - On January 30, 2023, a federal jury found two Florida physicians guilty for their involvement in a scheme to defraud Medicare of over $31 million. The two...more
Personal injury attorney, George Constantine, and orthopedic surgeon, Andrew Dowd, were convicted by a Manhattan federal jury on Friday, December 16, for knowingly profiting from a $31 million personal injury litigation scam....more
DOJ Announces $3.3 Billion Cryptocurrency Seizure and Fraud Conviction - On Friday, November 4, James Zhong pled guilty to committing wire fraud in September 2012, when he allegedly executed a scheme to defraud “Silk...more
Medical Technology Company President Convicted for Participation in $77 Million COVID-19 and Allergy Testing Scheme - On September 1, 2022, the president of Arrayit Corporation, a medical technology company in Silicon...more
On July 20, 2022, the Justice Department announced that it brought criminal charges against 36 defendants in 13 federal districts across the country, charging more than $1.2 billion in alleged telemedicine, cardiovascular and...more
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Former Theranos President and COO, Found Guilty on All Twelve Fraud Counts in High-Profile Trial - On July 7, 2022, a federal jury in the Northern District of California found Ramesh “Sunny”...more
California Man Convicted in $27 Million PPP Fraud Scheme - After a trial before a federal jury, a California man was convicted of bank fraud, making false statements to a financial institution, and money laundering for...more
4th Circuit Affirms Dismissal of FCA Medicaid Suit Against Allergan - On January 25, 2022, a majority of the Fourth Circuit panel affirmed the dismissal of a relator's False Claims Act complaint against Allergan Sales LLC,...more
On November 4, 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the conviction of several South Florida addiction treatment facility operators following a seven-week trial. ...more