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Whistleblower Group

This archive page contains posts by the Whistleblower Practice Group.  For all Whistleblower pages, please see: 

Page 743 of 944

April 21, 2015

Texas-based Citizens Medical Center agreed to pay $21,750,000 to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act and Stark Statute by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians.  According to the government, the hospital provided compensation to several cardiologists that exceeded the fair market value of their services and paid bonuses to emergency room physicians that improperly took into account the value of their cardiology referrals.  The allegations first arose in a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Dakshesh “Kumar” Parikh, Harish Chandna and Ajay Gaalla.  They will collectively receive a whistleblower award of $5,981,250.  DOJ

April 21, 2015

R.J. Zavoral & Sons, Inc., John Zavoral, Peter Zavoral and Craig Pietruszewski agreed to pay $1.85 million to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act and the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act by making false statements to the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the US Army Corps of Engineers relating to the Heartsville Coulee Diversion construction contract they were awarded for flood control work in and around East Grand Forks, Minnesota.  DOJ

April 16, 2015

Felix Gonzalez, owner of Miami home health care company AA Advanced Care Inc. was ordered to pay $21,423,160 in restitution and sentenced to 113 months in prison in connection with a $32 million Medicare fraud scheme.  Gonzalez admitted operating his company for the purpose of billing the Medicare program for expensive physical therapy and home health care services that were not medically necessary or provided at all.  He further admitted he negotiated and paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters in exchange for patient referrals, as well as prescriptions, plans of care (POCs) and certifications for medically unnecessary therapy and home health services.  DOJ

April 15, 2015

Joseph Furando, together with his two New Jersey companies Caravan Trading Company and CIMA Green, pleaded guilty for their parts in an Indiana-centered scheme to defraud biodiesel buyers and US taxpayers by fraudulently selling biodiesel incentives in connection with tax credits offered under the Energy Independence and Security Act designed to encourage use of renewable fuel sources.  DOJ

April 15, 2015

Rahmat Begum, owner of Detroit-area home health care agency Empirical Home Health Care Inc. pleaded guilty to fraud and money laundering charges in connection with her role in a $2.6 million home health care scheme.  According to her guilty plea, Begum conspired to submit falsified claims to Medicare based upon referrals obtained through illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters and physicians.  DOJ

April 15, 2015

Mehran Zamani pleaded guilty to a multimillion Medicaid fraud scheme relating to his work for Landmark Dental, Dental Group of Stamford and Dental Group of Connecticut where he served as the front for Gary Anusavice, the real owner of the businesses, who was a convicted felon, former dentist, and excluded Medicaid provider.  FBI

April 9, 2015

Sprint Communications, Inc. (formerly Sprint Nextel Corporation) agreed to pay $15.5 million to resolve allegations it defrauded federal law enforcement agencies when recovering its costs of carrying out court-ordered wiretaps, pen registers, and trap devices.  DOJ

April 9, 2015

Virginia-based cardiovascular testing disease laboratory Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc. agreed to pay $47 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to physicians in exchange for patient referrals and billing federal health care programs for medically unnecessary testing.  A second cardio testing lab, California-based Singulex Inc., agreed to pay $1.5 million to settle similar charges.  The allegations first arose in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Dr. Michael Mayes, Scarlett Lutz, Kayla Webster and Chris Reidel under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  The whistleblower award they will receive has yet to be determined.  Whistleblower Insider

April 8, 2015

Orlando-based Air Ideal Inc. and its majority owner, Kim Amkraut, agreed to pay $250,000 to resolve allegations they made false statements to the Small Business Administration to improperly obtain certification as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) company.  They must also pay five percent of Air Ideal’s gross revenues over the next five years.  Specifically, the government alleged Air Ideal used its fraudulently-procured HUBZone certification to obtain contracts from the US Coast Guard, US Army, US Army Corps of Engineers and the US Department of the Interior.  The allegations first arose in a whistleblower complaint filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Patricia Hopson.  She will receive a whistleblower award of $42,500.  DOJ

April 3, 2015

Massachusetts-based dairy farm Michael P. Ferry Inc. and its owner Michael P. Ferry agreed to enter into a consent decree to settle charges of violating the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) in connection with their alleged unlawful use of new animal drugs in cows slaughtered for food.  DOJ
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