By Steve Kardell | Published January 19, 2023 | Posted in Fraud, Whistleblower Litigation | Tagged Tags: SEC, securities regulations, self-reporting |
Self-Reporting Companies Can Lower Fines by Incentivizing Whistleblowers
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) runs a whistleblower rewards program, which has encouraged over 50,000 tips in the last decade. This has resulted in collecting nearly $5 billion in fines and penalties from public companies. However, companies can reduce their fines by incentivizing whistleblowers to report violations internally. Instead of waiting for the SEC Read More
Read MoreTelehealth Services Increased Medicare Fraud
The COVID-19 pandemic made telehealth essential. With shutdowns across the country, people still needed medical care, and telehealth came to the rescue. The number of “virtual” physicians increased from zero to thousands overnight. Unfortunately, telehealth makes it easier to commit fraud. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) encountered more schemes, which cost taxpayers Read More
Read MorePhysician Pays $980,000 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations
A physician, his son and their medical practice agreed to pay the U.S. $980,000 to resolve allegations arising from the False Claims Act. The pair allegedly submitted medically unnecessary urine tests to receive additional payments. The claim arose from a new U.S. Attorney’s office effort, which reviews Medicare billing data. When the unit discovered the Read More
Read MoreWhite Collar Crime Costs Hundreds of Billions Each Year
White collar crime costs the United States about $300 billion dollars per year—and most Americans don’t even realize it. Because white collar crime is typically nonviolent, it doesn’t get the same kind of attention that others do. Whistleblower suits are often very effective in rooting out this kind of corruption. What is white collar crime? Read More
Read MoreUnsealed Whistleblower Lawsuit Accuses Epic of Double-Billing Anesthesia Services
Epic, a medical billing software service, has been accused of prompting hundreds of hospitals across the country to double-bill Medicaid and Medicare for anesthesia services. This resulted in hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent payments. The recently unsealed lawsuit was originally filed in 2015, and the federal government declined to intervene in the case. Read More
Read MorePharmacy Owners Convicted of Fraudulent Multimillion Dollar Telemedicine Scheme
Two pharmacy owners were recently convicted of trying to defraud pharmacy benefit managers of tens of thousands of prescriptions, which were submitted to both private and federally-funded healthcare programs. The PBMs paid claims to the conspirator-owned pharmacies in a multimillion dollar scheme. They face up to 17 years in prison and $50 million in restitution. Read More
Read MoreDOJ Levels Charges Against 36 Defendants for $1.2 Billion in Healthcare Fraud
The Department of Justice recently charged 36 defendants in 13 federal districts for “alleged fraudulent telemedicine, cardiovascular and cancer genetic testing and durable medical equipment (DME) schemes.” Criminal charges were levied against medical equipment companies, lab owners and executives, medical professionals, marketing firms and more. Other government agencies took additional administrative actions against 52 more Read More
Read MoreRehabilitative Therapy Business Must Pay $9.6 Million in Damages
A rehabilitative therapy business in Georgia, along with its founder, has been ordered to pay $9.6 million in damages for submitting nearly 800 false health care claims. Case background Middle Georgia Family Rehab LLC, along with owner/CEO Brenda Hicks, are jointly liable for 796 false claims submitted to TRICARE and Medicaid. The defendants were paid Read More
Read MoreConstruction Company Settles Whistleblower Case for $2.8 Million After Alleged Incidents of Fraud
Hensel Phelps, a general contractor and construction company, recently settled allegations of subcontracting fraud for $2.8 million The misconduct was revealed by Fox Unlimited Enterprises, which acted as a whistleblower in the case. The whistleblower will receive nearly $631,000 for their role in prompting the investigation that led to the settlement. Case background According to Read More
Read MoreSEC Considering Return to 30 Percent Awards for Corporate Whistleblowers
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently proposed some changes to its whistleblower program that could potentially affect compensation received by whistleblowers through the program. Under the current rules, whistleblowers can perceive anywhere from 10 to 30 percent of penalties the SEC collects when the penalties in the case exceed $1 million. However, the Read More
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