Qui Tam Blog
SEC Issues First Whistleblower Award of $2.2 Million Under Safe Harbor Rule
The Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, announced in April that it issued an award of $2.2 million to a whistleblower for the first time under what’s known as the ‘safe harbor’ rule. The whistleblower’s tip to one federal agency resulted in an SEC enforcement action. The whistleblower reported information to a federal agency… Read More »
Common Types of Whistleblower Fraud
Whistleblower cases, known as Qui Tam cases, are ones that are brought against companies who are committing fraud against the United States government for financial gain. These types of cases can come from many sources, but some of the most common whistleblower cases are: Health Care Fraud It probably comes as no surprise that… Read More »
New IRS Task Force — Could This Mean More Whistleblower Awards?
The Wall Street Journal shared news that the IRS is forming a new task force within its criminal investigations unit. The team of 10 agents will be solely focused on international tax enforcement. They are assembling experts who will follow the funds of financial criminals and tax cheats, no matter where they are in… Read More »
What is the Dodd-Frank Act?
The Dodd-Frank Act’s official name is the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, which was passed in 2010 during the Obama administration to address concerns surrounding the 2008 financial crisis. It gets its name from U.S. Senator Christopher J. Dodd and U.S. Representative Barney Frank, who were the original sponsors. It enhances… Read More »
What is a Reverse False Claim?
Most qui tam whistleblower lawsuits under the False Claims Act involve a Defendant who has made a fraudulent “claim” for money upon the government. For example, when a hospital sends a bill to Medicare for a medical procedure that was never performed, the hospital has made a “claim” for money upon the government. If… Read More »
False Claims Act: Top Health Care Recoveries for Fiscal Year 2017
There’s no denying that health care fraud accounts for a large percentage of the claims that qualify under the Federal False Claims Act (FCA). According to the Justice Department, of the more than $3.7 billion in settlements and judgments recovered in fiscal year 2017, $2.4 billion of them involved the health care industry. Claims… Read More »
Whistleblowers and Wildlife Crime
When we talk about qui tam litigation, whistleblowers, and the Federal False Claims Act, some people think it’s primarily related to the healthcare industry. While the healthcare industry certainly makes up a chunk of the active lawsuits, especially those under the Federal False Claims Act, there are other areas where whistleblowers could play an… Read More »
Potential Whistleblowers Take Note of Employer Monitoring
If you’re working in an environment where you’ve suddenly become aware of illegal or unethical behavior, especially that which might qualify under a whistleblower case, you need to stop and think for a minute. It’s critical to consider all your future actions once you’ve uncovered something worth reporting, before you report anything. In many… Read More »
Stark Law and Qui Tam Cases
Stark Law violations are a source of referrals for whistleblower claims, or qui tam lawsuits under the False Claims Act (FCA). Stark law refers to Section 1877 of the Social Security Act, 42 U.S.C. 1395nn, which deals with physician self-referrals. Stark Law Defined Under the Social Security Act provisions, Stark Law: Prohibits a physician… Read More »
Justice Department Recovers over $3.7 Billion in False Claims Act Cases in the 2017 Fiscal Year
The United States Department of Justice recently released statistics from the 2017 fiscal year, which includes more than $3.7 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving fraud and false claims. Total recoveries since the False Claims Act (FCA) was strengthened in 1986 now top more than $56 billion. Types of Recoveries Of… Read More »
