Archive

Energy & Process Corp. Settles False Claims Act Whistleblower Charges

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Georgia-based Energy & Process Corporation agreed to pay $4.6 million to resolve charges it violated the False Claims Act by failing to perform required quality assurance procedures and supplying defective steel reinforcing bars under a Department of Energy (DOE) contract to construct a nuclear waste treatment facility. See DOJ Press Release. According to the government, the...

Trump Order Presents Opportunity for Blowing the Whistle on Buy American Violations

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team On April 18th, President Trump signed  Executive Order 13788, calling for the federal government to "scrupulously monitor, enforce, and comply with Buy American Laws, to the extent they apply, and minimize the use of waivers."  There are numerous laws and regulations, generally referred to as "Buy American" laws, that require or express a preference for domestic goods and...

In Their Own Words -- O'Reilly

--“The allegations contained in today’s indictment expose flagrant corruption among several senior officers previously assigned to the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet.  The charges and subsequent arrests are yet another deplorable example of those who place their own greed above their responsibility to serve this nation with honor‎.”

Dermot F. O'Reilly, Director of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, on the...

Nine New Navy Officials Charged With Fraud, Corruption In "Fat Leonard" Scandal

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team According to documents unsealed in federal court yesterday, a grand jury has indicted nine former and active-duty Navy officials on charges of corruption, fraud, obstruction of justice, and other crimes.  Four retired Navy captains, a retired Marine colonel, and a former Navy admiral, Rear Adm. Bruce Loveless, are among those charged.  Loveless served as the Navy’s director...

DOJ Catch Of The Week -- ZTE Corporation

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team This week's Department of Justice "Catch of the Week" goes to ZTE Corporation.  On Tuesday, the Chinese telecom equipment maker agreed to enter a guilty plea and pay a $430 million penalty for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act by illegally shipping U.S.-origin items to Iran.  ZTE simultaneously reached settlements with the Department of...

Trump Administration Okays Continued Use of Privately Run Prisons

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team The Trump administration announced this week it will allow the federal Bureau of Prisons to continue contracting out prison services to private companies. Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a memo rescinding an Obama administration memo that had directed the federal government to phase out and ultimately stop relying on private prisons. Sessions’ order says the earlier memo...

Defense contractor pays $14.9 M to settle FCA suit

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Sierra Nevada Corporation (“SNC”) agreed to settle False Claims Act allegations it misclassified costs—thus inflating its overhead—on several government contracts. The Nevada-based company has several defense and space contracts with the United States. The company’s current flagship project is the design and construction of the “Dream Chaser,” a NASA-funded...

Judge Order $100M Lance Armstrong Whistleblower Suit to Trial

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Yesterday, U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper in Washington refused to throw out the $100 million lawsuit brought by the United States against former cycling icon Lance Armstrong, clearing the way for trial. The lawsuit was originally brought under the whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Armstrong's former teammate Floyd Landis. Landis and the government...

Fraudster Of The Week -- Pacific Gas & Electric Co.

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team More than six years ago, a PG&E pipeline exploded in San Bruno, California, killing eight people, injuring 58 more, and destroying 38 homes.  On Monday, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson announced that he would fine PG&E $3 million and place the company under a court-appointed monitor for its criminal violations of pipeline safety laws. Judge Henderson’s decision...

The New Federal Rules on Private Prisons Will Not End Private Prisons — But There May Be Another Answer

By Anne Hayes Hartman and Sarah Poppy Alexander As we recently argued in The Tennessean, the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to end the use of private prisons for select federal facilities is a first step towards reforming the industry.  However, DOJ’s announcement will have only a limited impact.  Only 13 federal Bureau of Prisons facilities are affected, leaving the remaining privately run...