Archive

IBM Inks $14.8 Million False Claims Act Settlement

Posted 06/18/19

On Friday, the Department of Justice announced that IBM and its subsidiary Cúram Software had agreed to pay $14.8 million to resolve allegations that they lied to the State of Maryland while bidding on a contract to develop the state’s Health Insurance Exchange (HIX) website and IT platform. DOJ sued IBM under the False Claims Act, which imposes liability on companies and individuals that defraud government...

Tagged in: Contract Non-Compliance, Defense Contract Fraud, FCA Federal, FCA State, Importance of Whistleblowers,

Blowing the Whistle on Data Breaches and Cybersecurity Flaws

Posted 06/14/19

Computer Security Profession Sitting at Her Computer Desk

With increasing dependence on technology, cybersecurity has emerged as a critical issue for customers, investors, and government regulators. Data breaches and other cybersecurity incidents can have devastating effects. In 2018, the Council of Economic Advisers estimated that malicious cyber activity cost the U.S. economy up to $109 billion dollars in 2016 alone. Typically, the public only learns of such flaws and...

Tagged in: Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, FCA Federal, Government Procurement Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Whistleblower Answers, Whistleblower Rewards,

Whistleblowers Needed to Stop Secret Kickbacks, Bribes, Overcharging, and False Costs in E-Rate, Lifeline, Connect America, and Rural Healthcare programs

Posted 06/7/19

Large broadband cable bales awaiting installation on rural road.

The FCC disburses billions of dollars every year for its massive Universal Service Fund (USF) and its laudable mission to promote telephone and internet access to all U.S. persons regardless of income and location. This massive pot of government money attracts a commensurate measure of opportunists seeking to defraud these well-meaning programs.

What is the Universal Service Fund?

The Universal Service Fund...

Tagged in: Bribery and Bid-Rigging, Contract Non-Compliance, Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, Education Fraud, Falsifying Invoices, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, Government Programs Fraud, Pricing Fraud,

WATCH THIS SPACE: Proposed $700M Fix for Installed Foreign-Telecom Could Compound Fraud Related to Universal-Service-Fund Projects

Posted 05/31/19

Hand touching lock icon on modern digital screen interface stating “hacking detected” and “security breach”

Congress, the President, and the FCC are moving to restrict and phase out foreign-made telecommunications components seen as national security risks. While the president’s executive order of May 15, 2019 prohibits U.S. companies from buying foreign telecom, we have a huge problem: our systems already have large quantities of this equipment installed – antennas, radios, electronics, routers, services, etc. The...

Tagged in: Bribery and Bid-Rigging, Contract Non-Compliance, Education Fraud, Falsifying Invoices, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, Government Programs Fraud, Pricing Fraud,

Fraud in GSA Contracts: How to Report it Under the False Claims Act for a Whistleblower Reward

Posted 05/13/19

Federal government offices purchase all the products and services any office does:

Office supplies,
Telecommunications equipment and services,
Computer hardware and software,
Consulting services,
Vehicles,
Travel services,
and so on.

The General Services Administration is the centralized procurement arm for the federal government, overseeing tens of billions of dollars in procurement...

Tagged in: FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, Pricing Fraud, Set-Asides and Preferences, Trade Agreements, Whistleblower Answers,

Immigration Detention Facilities Continue to Pose Fraud Risks

Posted 05/9/19

Last summer, we wrote about the fraud risks inherent in the massive increase in government spending for immigration detention. Almost one year later, a child’s tragic death again calls attention to failures at the immigration facilities that maintain ever increasing government contracts. On April 30, 2019, a sixteen-year-old boy died at a Southwest Key facility in Brownsville, TX, two weeks after arriving in the...

Tagged in: Contract Non-Compliance, Correctional Services Fraud, Government Procurement Fraud, Human Rights,

Catch of the Week — Rocket and Missile Parts Manufacturer Hydro Extrusion Portland

Posted 04/26/19

Our Catch of the Week goes to Hydro Extrusion Portland, Inc., formerly Sapa Profiles Inc., an aluminum extrusion manufacturer that made parts used by NASA and the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) in rockets and missiles. The DOJ agreed to resolve criminal and civil claims relating to the manufacturer’s 19-year fraud scheme for $46 million in forfeitures, criminal fines, and amounts to settle civil False Claims Act...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Contract Non-Compliance, FCA Federal, Government Procurement Fraud,

Catch of the Week — DOJ Settles False Claims Act Case Against Cybersecurity Company

Posted 04/18/19

Last week, the Department of Justice announced that Fortinet, Inc., a Silicon Valley-based cybersecurity company, has agreed to pay more than half a million dollars to resolve allegations that it lied about its compliance with the federal Trade Agreements Act (TAA). The allegations were brought to the government’s attention through a False Claims Act lawsuit filed by a whistleblower who worked in Fortinet’s...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, Defense Contract Fraud, FCA Federal, Trade Agreements, Whistleblower Case,

Catch of the Week — DOJ Settles with Two Additional Defendants in Ongoing Bid Rigging Investigation

Posted 03/22/19

Our Catch of the Week celebrates DOJ’s $127 million settlements with two additional South Korea-based companies entangled in a bid-rigging conspiracy to stifle competition and thus artificially inflate prices charged to the U.S. Government on contracts to supply fuel for U.S. military bases in South Korea. The two oil companies, Hyundai Oilbank Co. Ltd and S-Oil Corporation, will pay $75 million in criminal fines...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, CC Lawyers, Defense Contract Fraud, FCA Federal, Whistleblower Rewards,

WATCH THIS SPACE: DOJ and DOE Call Out Lockheed Martin for Self-Dealing at Hanford Plutonium Site

Posted 02/15/19

Worker in HazMat suit standing in front of pile of barrels in rain

The nation’s largest toxic cleanup site has suffered another setback, this time not in the cleanup itself but in alleged self-dealing, corruption, kickbacks, and lies, costing taxpayers over $60M, according to a complaint filed by DOJ against Mission Support Alliance, Lockheed Martin Services (and a subsidiary), and Jorge Francisco Armijo. The Hanford Nuclear Site in central Washington state made plutonium for...

Tagged in: Environmental Fraud, FCA Federal, Financial and Investment Fraud, Government Procurement Fraud,

Contact

Click here for a confidential contact or call:

IBM Inks $14.8 Million False Claims Act Settlement

Blowing the Whistle on Data Breaches and Cybersecurity Flaws

Whistleblowers Needed to Stop Secret Kickbacks, Bribes, Overcharging, and False Costs in E-Rate, Lifeline, Connect America, and Rural Healthcare programs

What is the Universal Service Fund?

WATCH THIS SPACE: Proposed $700M Fix for Installed Foreign-Telecom Could Compound Fraud Related to Universal-Service-Fund Projects

Fraud in GSA Contracts: How to Report it Under the False Claims Act for a Whistleblower Reward

Immigration Detention Facilities Continue to Pose Fraud Risks

Catch of the Week — Rocket and Missile Parts Manufacturer Hydro Extrusion Portland

Catch of the Week — DOJ Settles False Claims Act Case Against Cybersecurity Company

Catch of the Week — DOJ Settles with Two Additional Defendants in Ongoing Bid Rigging Investigation

WATCH THIS SPACE: DOJ and DOE Call Out Lockheed Martin for Self-Dealing at Hanford Plutonium Site

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive email updates from the Constantine Cannon blogs

Sign up for: