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Watch Now: Eric Havian Joins OffshoreAlert Panel with SEC, CFTC, and IRS Whistleblower Officials on Rewards for Domestic and Foreign Whistleblowers

Posted 04/2/21

For the third year in a row, Constantine Cannon partner Eric Havian participated in OffshoreAlert’s annual conference, vGlobal, speaking on a panel with senior leaders of the whistleblower programs at the SEC, CFTC, and IRS. The panel, which you can watch below, “Rewarding Domestic & Foreign Whistleblowers: The Growth & Spreading Reach of U.S. Programs,” addressed the international reach of the U.S....

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, Financial and Investment Fraud, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Tax Fraud,

Operation Brace Yourself Nets $20M Settlement with DME Fraudster

Posted 02/9/21

This week, the Department of Justice announced it had reached a $20.3 million settlement with a Florida businesswoman who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and filing a false tax return. The settlement resolved allegations that the woman, Kelly Wolfe, participated in a scheme to defraud Medicare by filling sham prescriptions for Durable Medical Equipment (DME) like back, ankle, knee, and wrist...

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare, Tax Fraud, Whistleblower Case,

Top Ten Tax Recoveries of 2020

Posted 02/5/21

Tax fraud and tax evasion, unfortunately, continued apace last year. Yet even in the face of waning tax resources, enforcement authorities chalked up some key wins in 2020. Criminal recoveries tend to dominate the headlines because many of the biggest tax recoveries are not public: the IRS scrupulously protects taxpayer privacy, and no announcements are made for civil tax recoveries. Thus only those that result...

Tagged in: Abusive Tax Shelters, FCA State, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Tax Fraud, Whistleblower Rewards,

Corruption Crackdown in British Virgin Islands May Be the Start of Something Big

Posted 01/22/21

On January 18, 2021, the British government made a surprise announcement that they were convening an independent commission to investigate corruption, organized crime, and other governance failures in the British Virgin Islands. BVI is infamous for its shell companies, lax oversight, generous tax policies, and general friendliness to those seeking to evade taxes—legally or otherwise. It has also become the known...

Tagged in: Financial and Investment Fraud, Tax Fraud,

Catch of the Week: Capital One pays $390M to resolve anti-money laundering (AML) violations.

Posted 01/22/21

Capital One, one of America’s ten largest banks, has agreed to pay $390 million to resolve allegations that it violated the Bank Secrecy Act and various other laws targeted at preventing money laundering. The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) specifically said that Capital One willfully failed to guard against money laundering from 2008 to 2014, including a failure to file...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Financial and Investment Fraud, Financial Institution Fraud, Money Laundering, Tax Fraud,

IRS Makes its 2020 Whistleblower Report to Congress: Mandatory Awards Hold Steady, but Long Delays Continue

Posted 01/8/21

2020 proved to be a difficult year for most people, but within the tumult of the year the IRS Whistleblower Office continued to work and on December 29, 2020 provided its annual report to Congress (for fiscal year ending September 30, 2020). The report showed a mixed bag of success and difficulties in addressing tax fraud and awarding whistleblowers. The IRS Whistleblower Office made 169 awards to whistleblowers in...

Tagged in: IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Statistics, Tax Fraud,

D.C. Council Passes Amendment that Expands D.C. False Claims Act to Cover Tax Fraud

Posted 01/8/21

The D.C. Council has passed, by veto-proof majority, an amendment to its False Claims Act that expands the scope of the Act to cover tax fraud claims. The amended D.C. FCA will cover tax fraud claims against people and entities that file taxes in D.C., report at least $1 million in income, and understate their tax liability or seek a tax refund resulting in damages of $350,000 or more. D.C. joins New York and Guam,...

Tagged in: FCA State, IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Legislation and Regulation News, Tax Fraud,

Top Ten State Healthcare and Financial Fraud Recoveries of 2020

Posted 01/8/21

State and local governments are on the front lines of enforcing anti-fraud laws and play a critical role in ensuring that businesses and individuals are held accountable. Whistleblowers with information about corporate misconduct involving healthcare, government procurement, financial regulation, and tax may find that state proceedings offer them the best option. More than 30 states have False Claims Acts that...

Tagged in: Auto Safety, Drug and DME Pricing, FCA State, Financial and Investment Fraud, Government Procurement Fraud, Government Programs Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Pharma Fraud, Provider Fraud, Tax Fraud, Top 10,

Sunshine State Local Elections Shine Light on How Dark Shell Company Data Can Be

Posted 11/18/20

Amidst the ongoing saga of the US national elections, Florida local elections may not have made much of a ripple. But one small scandal in the Sunshine State reveals a lot about the ongoing problem the US has with shell corporations and their hidden ownership structures. The story is convoluted, as most shell company stories are. A political donor, Proclivity, who had never donated money in Florida before,...

Tagged in: Abusive Tax Shelters, Financial and Investment Fraud, Financial Institution Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, Money Laundering, Regulatory Violations,

Catch of the Week: New York Sues Sotheby’s for Helping Art Collector Evade Millions in Taxes

Posted 11/13/20

This week’s Catch of the Week spotlights another tax dodge by the rich and powerful, but with a twist, implicating international auction house Sotheby’s, one of the world’s largest brokers of fine arts, jewelry, and collectibles. Sotheby’s stands accused of enabling a wealthy art collector client to fraudulently evade taxes on $27 million worth of art. Under New York tax law, art resellers who meet certain...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Tax Fraud,

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Watch Now: Eric Havian Joins OffshoreAlert Panel with SEC, CFTC, and IRS Whistleblower Officials on Rewards for Domestic and Foreign Whistleblowers

Operation Brace Yourself Nets $20M Settlement with DME Fraudster

Top Ten Tax Recoveries of 2020

Corruption Crackdown in British Virgin Islands May Be the Start of Something Big

Catch of the Week: Capital One pays $390M to resolve anti-money laundering (AML) violations.

IRS Makes its 2020 Whistleblower Report to Congress: Mandatory Awards Hold Steady, but Long Delays Continue

D.C. Council Passes Amendment that Expands D.C. False Claims Act to Cover Tax Fraud

Top Ten State Healthcare and Financial Fraud Recoveries of 2020

Sunshine State Local Elections Shine Light on How Dark Shell Company Data Can Be

Catch of the Week: New York Sues Sotheby’s for Helping Art Collector Evade Millions in Taxes

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