whistleblower attorney

Lantheus Settles False Claims For $6.2M; Whistleblower to Get $1.1M

Submitted by mma on March 26, 2014
March 26, 2014
Image: 

Lantheus Medical Imaging and Bristol-Myers Squibb have agreed to pay $6.2 million to settle allegations that the company failed to pay New York State and City taxes, in violation of the False Claims Act, the New York Attorney General’s office announced.

Lantheus and its former parent company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, allegedly did not pay applicable New York State business franchise taxes, New York City corporation taxes or MTA surcharges from 2002 to 2006, when Lantheus was known as Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging. During that period, the company derived substantial revenues from its sales of medical imaging products to hospitals, clinics and other facilities in New York and from its training and servicing activities in connection with its sales.

The lawsuit was originally filed by a tax services provider who became aware of Lantheus’ failure to pay New York taxes, under the whistleblower provision of New York’s False Claims Act.  The Act is one of the state's most powerful civil fraud enforcement tools because it allows whistleblowers and prosecutors to take legal action against companies or individuals that defraud the government.  Under the False Claims Act, whistleblowers may be eligible to receive up to 30 percent of any money recovered by the government as a result of information they provide. The whistleblower in this action will receive $1.1 million from the settlement proceeds.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

BizLink Settles False Claims For $1.2M; Whistleblower to Get $252K

Submitted by mma on March 25, 2014
March 25, 2014
Image: 

California-based Bizlink Technology, Inc. (BTI) has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle allegations that the company violated the False Claims Act by underpaying customs duties owed on goods imported from China, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California announced earlier this month.

BTI allegedly underpaid customs duties on goods that BTI imported into the United States from Bizlink International Electronics Co., Ltd., a factory in Shenzhen, China. BTI allegedly obtained two sets of invoices for each shipment from the Chinese factory: one true invoice that BTI paid, and a second invoice falsely stating a lower cost. The false invoices were allegedly used to calculate the customs duties that BTI paid on the imported goods, resulting in substantial underpayments.

The lawsuit was originally filed by a former employee of BTI under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  The unnamed whistleblower will receive $252,000 as his portion of the settlement.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

American Family Care Settles False Medicare Claims for $1.2M

Submitted by mma on March 19, 2014
March 19, 2014
Image: 

American Family Care Inc. has agreed to pay $1.2 million to settle allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the federal health care program Medicare, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.  American Family Care is a network of walk-in medical clinics headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., with offices in Alabama, Tennessee and Georgia.

Following guidance adopted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, health clinics such as American Family Care bill Medicare for their services by selecting a corresponding Evaluation and Management code.  The codes are divided into five different levels - from basic (level 1) to most complex (level 5).  Higher level codes result in higher reimbursement from Medicare than lower level codes.  The government alleged that American Family Care knowingly selected Evaluation and Management codes for a level of services that exceeded those actually provided in order to artificially increase the amount of reimbursement it received for those visits.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Anita C. Salters, a former American Family Care employee, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Salters’ portion of the settlement has not yet been determined.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

Hospice Settles False Healthcare Claims for $3.9M; Whistleblowers to Get $712K

Submitted by mma on March 14, 2014
March 14, 2014
Image: 

CLP HealthcareServices, the parent company of Hospice Compassus, has agreed to pay $3.92 million to the U.S. government to settle allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to federal health care programs, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Alabama announced yesterday.

Hospices provide palliative care – any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of disease symptoms – to patients who decide to forego curative care of their illness. Medicare beneficiaries are entitled to hospice care if they have a prognosis of six months or less to live. The government alleged that Hospice Compassus was submitting false claims for hospice care for patients who were not eligible for such care.

The two lawsuits were originally filed by two former Hospice Compassus employees under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recover.  The unnamed whistleblowers received $712,000 between them as their portion of the settlement.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

JPMorgan Whistleblower Gets $63.9M

Submitted by mma on March 13, 2014
March 13, 2014
Image: 

Keith Edwards, the whistleblower who provided tips that led to JPMorgan & Chase’s $614 million False Claims Act settlement, will receive $63.9 million as his portion of the settlement, the Chicago Tribune reported last week.  Edwards was formerly an employee of JPMorgan.

JPMC admitted that, for more than a decade, it approved thousands of Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans and hundreds of Veterans Affairs (VA) loans that were not eligible for FHA or VA insurance because they did not meet applicable agency underwriting requirements. JPMC further admitted that it failed to inform the FHA and the VA when its own internal reviews discovered more than 500 defective loans that never should have been submitted for FHA and VA insurance. 

JPMC also falsely certified that loans it originated and underwrote were qualified for FHA and VA insurance and guarantees. As a consequence of JPMC’s misrepresentations, both the FHA and the VA incurred substantial losses when unqualified loans failed and caused the FHA and VA to cover the associated losses.

The lawsuit was originally filed by Edwards under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. The False Claims Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

Halifax Settles False Medicare Claims for $85M; Whistleblower to Get $20.8M

Submitted by mma on March 11, 2014
March 11, 2014
Image: 

Florida-based Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing Inc. (Halifax) have agreed to pay $85 million to settle allegations that the companies knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to Medicare, in violation of the False Claims Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.  Halifax allegedly also violated the Stark Law.

The Stark Law forbids a hospital from billing Medicare for certain services referred by physicians who have a financial relationship with the hospital.  In this case, the government alleged that Halifax knowingly violated the Stark Law by executing contracts with six medical oncologists that provided an incentive bonus that improperly included the value of prescription drugs and tests that the oncologists ordered and Halifax billed to Medicare.  The government also alleged that Halifax knowingly violated the Stark Law by paying three neurosurgeons more than the fair market value of their work.

As part of the settlement announced today, Halifax also has agreed to enter into a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), which obligates Halifax to undertake substantial internal compliance reforms and to submit its federal health care program claims to independent review for the next five years.

The allegations were originally made in a lawsuit filed by Elin Baklid-Kunz, a former employee of Halifax, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Baklid-Kunz will receive $20.8 million.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

Shipping Co.’s Settle False Claims for $3.4M ; Whistleblower to Get $512K

Submitted by mma on March 7, 2014
March 7, 2014
Image: 

Sea Star Line LLC and Horizon Lines LLC have agreed to pay $3.4 million to resolve allegations that the companies knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the federal government by fixing the prices of government cargo transportation contracts between the United States and Puerto Rico, the U.S. Department of Justice announced today.  Sea Star Line will pay $1.9 million, while Horizon Lines will pay $1.5 million.

The government alleged that former executives of the defendant ocean shippers used personal email accounts to communicate confidential bidding information, thereby enabling each of the shippers to know the transportation rates that its competitor intended to submit to federal agencies for specific routes.   This information allowed the shippers to allocate specific routes between themselves at predetermined rates.  Among the contracts affected were U.S. Postal Service contracts to transport mail and Department of Agriculture contracts to ship food.   Both Sea Star Line and Horizon Lines previously pleaded guilty, in related criminal proceedings, to anticompetitive conduct in violation of the Sherman Act.

The lawsuit was originally filed by William B. Stallings, a former Sea Star Line executive, under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  Stallings will receive $512,719 as his portion of the settlement.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

SelfRefind to Settle False Medicare Claims for $15.8M

Submitted by mma on March 6, 2014
March 6, 2014
Image: 

SelfRefind and PremierTox LLC have agreed to pay $15.75 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare and Kentucky’s Medicaid program for tests that were medically unnecessary, more expensive than those performed, or billed in violation of the Stark Law, the Department of Justice announced. 

Drs. Bryan Wood and Robin Peavler, owners of SelfRefind, each purchased a 20 percent ownership stake in PremierTox LLC, a new clinical laboratory created to perform urine drug testing. Allegedly, after Wood and Peavler became owners of PremierTox, SelfRefind began referring comprehensive urine drug screening tests to PremierTox that were unnecessary and more expensive than other suitable alternative tests. The government also alleged that PremierTox knowingly submitted inflated claims to Medicare and Medicaid that misidentified the class of drug being tested and billed for tests that were referred by SelfRefind in violation of the Stark law.  The Stark Law forbids a laboratory from billing Medicare and Medicaid for certain services referred by physicians that have a financial relationship with the laboratory. 

The lawsuit was filed under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act. Under the False Claims Act, private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government may sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery. Had there been a whistleblower in this case, their portion of the settlement may have been anywhere from 15 to 30 percent. Of the total $15.75 million settlement amount, the federal share is $13.01 million, and the remaining $2.74 million will be paid to the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

Omnicare to Settle False Kickback Claims for $4.19M; Whistleblower to Get $398K

Submitted by mma on February 28, 2014
February 28, 2014
Image: 

Ohio-based Omnicare Inc. has agreed to pay the federal government $4.19 million to resolve allegations that the company engaged in a kickback scheme in violation of the False Claims Act, the U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday.  Omnicare provides pharmaceuticals and services to long-term care facilities and residents and other senior populations.

The settlement resolves allegations that Omnicare solicited and received kickbacks from the drug manufacturer Amgen Inc. in return for implementing “therapeutic interchange” programs that were designed to switch Medicaid beneficiaries from a competitor drug to Amgen’s product Aranesp.  The government alleged that the kickbacks took the form of performance-based rebates that were tied to market-share or volume thresholds, as well as grants, speaker fees, consulting services, data fees, dinners and travel. 

The lawsuit was originally filed by an unnamed whistleblower under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  The whistleblower in this case will receive $397,925 as his portion of the settlement.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None

DIG to Settle False Health Care Claims for $15.5M; Whistleblowers to Get $2.3M

Submitted by mma on February 26, 2014
February 26, 2014
Image: 

Diagnostic Imaging Group (DIG) has agreed to pay $15.5 million to settle allegations that the company knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to state and federal health care programs in connection with medical tests that were not performed or were medically unnecessary, the U.S. Department of Justice announced yesterday.

The settlement resolves allegations that DIG submitted claims to Medicare, as well as the New Jersey and New York Medicaid Programs, for 3D reconstructions of CT scans that were never performed or interpreted.  Additionally, DIG allegedly bundled certain tests on its order forms so that physicians could not order other tests without ordering the additional bundled tests, which were not medically necessary.  The settlement also resolves allegations that DIG paid kickbacks to physicians for the referral of diagnostic tests.  According to the government, the kickbacks were in the form of payments that DIG made to physicians ostensibly to supervise patients who underwent nuclear stress testing.  These payments allegedly exceeded fair market value and were, in fact, intended to reward physicians for their referrals.     

DIG operates a chain of diagnostic testing facilities through its subsidiary, Doshi Diagnostic Imaging Services, which is headquartered in Hicksville, N.Y.  DIG previously operated chains in New Jersey and Florida through subsidiaries Doshi Diagnostic Imaging Services of New Jersey and Signet Diagnostic Imaging Services. 

The settlement resolves three lawsuits originally filed under the whistleblower provision of the False Claims Act.  The False Claims Act allows private parties with knowledge of fraud against the government to sue on behalf of the government and share in the recovery.  The three whistleblowers—Dr. Mark Novick, Rey Solano, and Dr. Richard Steinman—will receive $1.5 million, $1.07 million, and $209,250, respectively, as their portions of the settlement.

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 representing whistleblower clients who expose every kind of fraud against the government, including health care fraud, contract fraud, and tax fraud.  Read more about our expertise in False Claims Act cases and how you can take action.

Cross-Post On: 
None
Syndicate content