Whistleblower News From The Inside - December 23, 2014
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
Alstom to pay $772M to settle bribery charges — The French engineering giant pleaded guilty and agreed to pay the fine to resolve criminal charges it paid tens of millions of dollars in a widespread bribery scheme to win energy contracts around the globe. NYT
US sues Omnicare over alleged kickbacks from Abbott Labs — The government joined two whistleblower suits alleging the largest US provider of pharmacy services to the elderly received millions of dollars in kickbacks from Abbott Laboratories for recommending Abbott’s prescription drug, Depakote, for epilepsy in dementia patients in nursing homes it serviced. DOJ
US sues Deutsche Bank and others over alleged tax avoidance scheme — The action seeks to recover $190 million for what Manhattan US Attorney, Preet Bharara, referred to as “nothing more than a shell game.” SDNY
New Mexico Dept. of Health supervisor files whistleblower retaliation suit — Amber Espinosa-Trujillo, the former head of the Health Facility and Licensing Certification Bureau, alleges she was demoted after complaining of understaffing at the division that certifies health care facilities to receive Medicaid funds. New Mexican
Judge orders tax-fraud trial for Princess Cristina of Spain — With the decision, Cristina faces the prospect of becoming the first direct member of the Spanish Royal Family in modern history to answer charges in court. Boston Globe
Panel discussion on whistleblowers and whether the False Claims Act deters fraud — Listen to the PBS Newshour discussion with DOJ’s Joyce Branda, Sen. Chuck Grassley and others. PBS