Whistleblower Group

New York-Based Eye Doctor Who Unnecessarily Billed Medicare/Medicaid Patients Has Agreed to Pay Nearly $2.5M in Settlement

A recent settlement acknowledges the healthcare fraud allegations made against a New York-based ophthalmologist, Dr. Sheldon Rabin, and his practice. According to a press release issued by the Eastern District of New York and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Rabin and his related entities have agreed to pay nearly $2.5 million to resolve claims of fraudulent billing practices involving Medicare and...

Texas Pharmacy Owner Sentenced for Illegal Kickbacks and Money Laundering in $59M Settlement

In a recent case of healthcare fraud, a pharmacy owner from Fort Worth, Texas, has been sentenced to four years and four months in prison and has been ordered to pay over $59 million in restitution for his role in an alleged illegal kickback and money laundering scheme. Specifically, the allegations of fraud involved TRICARE, the federal program that provides health insurance benefits to active and retired military...

In Their Own Words....RightToWarn.AI

“These risks [posed by Artificial Intelligence (‘AI’) technologies] range from the further entrenchment of existing inequalities, to manipulation and misinformation, to the loss of control of autonomous AI systems potentially resulting in human extinction.  ...  So long as there is no effective government oversight of these corporations, current and former employees are among the few people who can hold them...

CFTC Awards $4.5 Million to Whistleblower

Yesterday, June 3, 2024, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced a $4.5 million award to a whistleblower who provided detailed information and assistance to the Division of Enforcement (DOE). Pursuant to agency practice, the DOE did not disclose the identity of the whistleblower or the associated enforcement action. The CFTC maintains strict confidentiality over its whistleblowers. The CFTC did...

Spinal Device Manufacturer Innovasis Inc. Agrees to $12M Settlement to Resolve Kickback Claims Alleging Illegal Payments and Gifts to Surgeons

In a recent legal development, spinal device manufacturer Innovasis Inc. along with two of its top executives, Brent Felix and Garth Felix, have agreed to pay $12 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act. A recent United States Department of Justice press release revealed that Innovasis Inc. allegedly provided improper kickback payments to spine surgeons to promote the use of...

Scoundrel Spotlight — Chang Goo Yoon

This week's Scoundrel in the Spotlight is Chang Goo Yoon, the former owner of several physical therapy clinics in the Greater Boston area. He was indicted in May 2021 and convicted in January 2024 of healthcare fraud following a seven-day jury trial. Yesterday (May 28), U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani sentenced Yoon to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Judge Talwani also ordered...

NY Attorney General Secures Historically Large Settlement with Cryptocurrency Companies and Asks Whistleblowers to Come Forward 

The Office of the New York Attorney General (“NYAG”) recently announced that it reached a settlement worth $2 billion with cryptocurrency firms Genesis Global Capital, LLC; Genesis Asia Pacific PTE, LTD.; and Genesis Global Holdco, LLC (collectively, “Genesis”). The settlement, which the press release reports to be “the largest against a cryptocurrency company in state history,” will “establish a victims...

DOJ CATCH OF THE WEEK — DANIEL HURT

This week's Department of Justice (DOJ) Catch of the Week goes to Florida medical lab owner Daniel Hurt and his companies Fountain Health Services, Verify Health, Landmark Diagnostics, First Choice Laboratory, and Sonoran Desert Pathology Associates.  Last Friday (May 24), DOJ announced their agreement to pay roughly $27 million to settle charges they violated the False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Statute by billing...

Busy Week For False Claims Act Enforcement

It was a busy week for Department of Justice (DOJ) fraud enforcement with the agency resolving several False Claims Act matters covering a wide range of fraud and misconduct. The False Claims Act was enacted during the Civil War to go after war profiteers trying to defraud the Union Army with lame mules, empty munitions, and the like. It has since become the government's primary fraud-fighting tool through which the...

Famous Whistleblowers Trying to Turn Derogatory Labels into Honorary Badges

Some troubling but perhaps unsurprising news in the world of corporate whistleblowing.   Recent data from Medius, a fraud detection software company, revealed that over half of financial professionals in the UK and US have spotted or suspected fraud in their workplaces, yet a staggering 81% remain silent because of fear of retaliation. This troubling statistic shows a significant issue within the industry, one...