‘Qui Tam Whistleblower’ Category

March 14, 2013 — Military contractor fraud is a violation of the False Claims Act. Sometimes the fraud involves kickbacks. Other times, contractors bill for work not performed or overbill for the services they do perform. No matter the scheme, fraud costs American taxpayers billions of dollars.

Fraudulent schemes are often uncovered by accounting and billing personnel who notice...

March 13, 2013 — It is a violation of the False Claims Act for government contractors to pay kickbacks on work that is billed to the United States government. Kickback schemes are frequently uncovered by accounting employees who see that something in the books just is not adding up. Sometimes, unscrupulous government contractors pay employees to remain silent or threaten workers with the...

March 12, 2013 — Since January 2009, the Department of Justice has relied on the federal False Claims Act to recover in excess of $10.2 billion in cases of fraudulent schemes against Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, and other federal healthcare programs. The anti-fraud statute is one of the government’s most effective tools for preventing and reducing fraud against the American taxpayers....

March 11, 2013 — Contracts with the federal government are a profitable business for civilian contractors. But overcharging for expenses is a violation of the federal False Claims Act. Accounting employees are especially well-situated to become aware of billing irregularities. Sometimes, contractors pay their employees to keep quiet or threaten them with the loss of their jobs. Fed up,...

March 8, 2013 — Medicare and Medicaid fraud scams are frequently discovered when an employee of a health care provider brings a whistleblower claim under the qui tam provisions of the federal False Claims Act. The statute allows tipsters to keep a portion of the government’s recovery.

A Towson, Maryland hospital...

March 7, 2013 — In 2006, the IRS established a Whistleblower Office to reward tipsters who provide the IRS with tax fraud information that leads to the government’s recovery of unpaid taxes and penalties. The Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006 authorizes a reward for IRS informants that ranges from 15 to 30 percent.

Fighting offshore tax evasion is one of the top priorities...

March 6, 2013 — Taxpayers foot the bill when health care providers bill Medicare and Medicaid for nonexistent or unnecessary medical treatment. But patients and taxpayers aren’t the only ones harmed by health care fraud. Health care workers may be instructed to participate in the fraud themselves. They may even be threatened with the loss of their jobs.

Many health care workers...

March 5, 2013 — Before a pharmaceutical can be approved under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, its maker has to apply to the FDA and report all the intended uses for the product. It is illegal for pharmaceutical companies to market their drugs for any use that is not included in the initial drug application and approved by the FDA. This is called “off label” marketing and is a...

February 28, 2013 — When unethical dentists bill state Medicaid programs for children’s dentistry that is ineligible, unnecessary or never even performed, we all pay the price. Medicaid healthcare programs are funded jointly by state and federal governments. Medicaid funds ought to be devoted to help children in need — not unscrupulous dentists. The first people to see Medicaid...

February 28, 2013 — California’s False Claims Act recently became stronger when Governor Jerry Brown signed important amendments into law. Patterned after the federal False Claims Act, the California False Claims Act contains qui tam provisions that make it possible for a private individual with knowledge of fraud against the state government to file a whistleblower lawsuit under the...