DOJ Announces $5.7 Billion in FCA Recoveries in Fiscal Year 2021, with Boost from Purdue Settlement Claim

DOJ has released its annual announcement of recoveries in civil cases involving fraud and false claims against the government, and the total recoveries are eye-popping: $5.65 billion in settlements and judgments.  These recoveries make FY2021 the second largest year in False Claims Act history, and the largest since 2014. As in prior years, healthcare fraud dominated, with more than $5 billion of the total recoveries – 90% of the total. ...

Top Ten Financial and Healthcare Fraud Prison Sentences of 2021

Individuals involved in financial and healthcare fraud schemes face not just civil liability, but also criminal penalties – including prison time. In 2021, the Department of Justice obtained substantial prison sentences in a myriad of cases involving healthcare and financial frauds, many of which involved convictions of the type of fraudulent schemes that whistleblowers report. Whistleblowers play an essential role in exposing fraud and bringing information to the government that...

Will Supply Chain Delays and Skyrocketing Prices Lead to the End of Ocean Carriers’ Antitrust Exemption?

One of the oldest antitrust exemptions may yet fall victim to the pandemic as the global supply chain crisis causes federal policymakers to reevaluate the statutory immunity currently enjoyed by ocean carriers. Despite a year of turmoil in the ocean carriage supply chain, American consumers appear to have weathered the holiday shopping season with most of their gift giving intact.  Many consumers did their part by shopping early.  But government...

The Antitrust Year in Preview: Six Antitrust Developments to Watch in 2022

As we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become clear that one thing the pandemic hasn’t slowed is the revival of antitrust activity.  Here are six major antitrust developments expected this year, with potentially big implications for tech antitrust, merger enforcement, and criminal antitrust enforcement against no-poach agreements. Antitrust Bills in the U.S. Congress We expect Congress to continue its efforts to revitalize antitrust enforcement in 2022. ...

Vote Here Now for the 2021 Whistleblower of the Year

THANK YOU FOR VOTING FOR THE 2021 WHISTLEBLOWER OF THE YEAR. POLLS ARE NOW CLOSED AND WE ARE PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT REALITY WINNER IS OUR 2021 WINNER! Whistleblower Insider wants to hear from you on who should be honored as our 2021 Whistleblower of the Year.  As in past years, we are especially interested in those individuals who best encapsulate the qualities of the typical whistleblower — courage, strength, integrity, selflessness, and...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. Penguin Random House Defends Effort to Buy Simon & Schuster.  Penguin Random House, the largest book publisher in the United States, said in a court filing that its plan to buy a competitor, Simon & Schuster, would be a boon for the industry, benefiting authors, booksellers and readers. However, the U.S....

Payments News Update – December 17, 2021

Legal and Regulatory Developments SPOTLIGHT: UK Government Outlines Plans for Regulation of Buy Now Pay Later Industry The Spectator – December 15, 2021 The buy now pay later industry has exploded in recent years, with the industry now worth $100 billion (circa £70 billion). Also known as BNPL, it is used by shoppers to delay payments on any kind of product from champagne to clothes and kitchens, and the option...

The Antitrust Week In Review

Here are some of the developments in antitrust news this past week that we found interesting and are following. Apple can delay changes to App Store rules, appeals court says.  A federal appeals court delivered a last-minute reprieve to Apple, agreeing to the company’s request to delay a legal order requiring it to make policy changes to its App Store that could help app developers circumvent what they say are...

Catch of the Week: Pharmacy Owner Convicted in $174 Million Telehealth Fraud That Targeted Consumers and PBMs

In yet another example of how unscrupulous providers can take advantage of the benefits of telehealth (or telemedicine) to commit healthcare fraud, on December 2, 2021, a federal jury in Tennessee convicted Peter Bolos, the owner and operator of Synergy Pharmacy, located in Florida, of 22 criminal counts, including violating the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) by introducing a misbranded drug into interstate commerce.  According to the DOJ press release,...

Our Whistleblower of the Year Nominations for 2021 are Coming Soon

It is that time of year again when Whistleblower Insider asks for its readers to help select the Whistleblower of the Year.  As in past years, we are interested in showcasing the individuals who best encapsulate the qualities of the typical whistleblower — courage, strength, integrity, selflessness, and a deep concern for public health and safety.  Voting begins in mid-December with the winners announced in February.  Here is the listing...