What the Government Shutdown Means for Whistleblowers

As of January 3, 2019, the federal courts are still open, and say they can stay open at least through January 11 by using available funds from court fee payments and other sources not dependent on new appropriations.  However, most Department of Justice civil attorneys have been furloughed.  Without attorneys from DOJ, cases involving the United States are not be able to proceed as they normally would.  Accordingly, DOJ's Contingency...

Healthcare Whistleblowers Continue as Backbone of DOJ Recoveries: A Look at DOJ’s 2018 Fraud and FCA Statistics

The Department of Justice released its annual report of DOJ recoveries for fraud and false claims against the U.S., showing recoveries of $2.8 billion in settlements and judgments for the fiscal year ending September 2018. Once again, recoveries for healthcare fraud accounted for the majority of funds recovered: of the $2.8 billion recovered, $2.5 billion was attributed to healthcare fraud. And, once again, whistleblowers were critical to those recoveries: of...

Record-Breaking Year for the SEC Whistleblower Program: What the SEC Annual Report Tells Whistleblowers

In its 2018 Annual Report to Congress, the SEC Office of the Whistleblower described a “record-breaking year,” with a substantial increase in the number of tips received and the largest whistleblower awards to date.  While these numbers illustrate the benefits of the SEC Whistleblower Program, the SEC rightly says that it is “most proud” of the benefits the Whistleblower Program offers to investors, with over $1.7 billion in monetary sanctions...

Question of the Week — Should a Non-Disclosure Agreement Hush Up the Danske Bank Whistleblower?

Over the last month, a major financial scandal has roiled Europe. In September, Danske Bank, the largest bank in Denmark, announced that hundreds of billions of dollars in suspicious money had moved through its Estonia branch. Moreover, the company knew about the money, which originated in Russia and other former Soviet states, for years before taking action. In the wake of this tectonic money-laundering scandal, Danske Bank’s stock has plummeted...

Federal Judge — CFTC Can Regulate “Cryptocurrency” Fraud

In good news for investors, a Massachusetts federal judge recently ruled that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has the authority to fight fraud in the booming virtual currency market. The decision follows on the heels of a ruling in New York where a different federal judge reached the same conclusion. Through the Commodity Exchange Act, Congress authorized the CFTC to fight fraud involving “commodities.” As the virtual currency sector...

SEC Announces $4 Million Award to Overseas Whistleblower

We have said it before, and we will say it again:  the SEC Whistleblower Program offers monetary rewards to non-U.S. citizens.  Today's announcement from the SEC of a $4 million award to an unidentified "overseas whistleblower" demonstrates this.  According to the SEC, the anonymous whistleblower's tip caused the SEC to open an investigation.  The $4 million award "recognizes the continued, important assistance provided by the whistleblower throughout the course of...

Whistleblower News From The Inside -- May 22, 2018

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team Michigan home health agency owner pleads guilty to Medicare fraud -- Atheir Amarrah, the owner of Prompt Care Home Health Services Inc., pleaded guilty for his role in a scheme involving Medicare claims for home health services that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks.  DOJ Justices Turn Away Solvay FCA Off-Label Marketing Case -- “The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected a bid...

Whistleblower News From The Inside -- March 13, 2018

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team CFTC Moves to Cement Authority Over Crypto Fraud Cases – The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is moving quickly to assert its jurisdiction to police fraud in the cryptocurrency industry. Just two days after U.S. Judge Jack B. Weinstein of the Eastern District of New York ruled in favor of the CFTC, affirming its definition of cryptocurrency as a commodity, the regulator gave notice of...

Constantine Cannon’s Eric Havian Will Join Panel with SEC, CFTC & IRS Whistleblowing Chiefs at OffshoreAlert Conference

The SEC's Jane Norberg, the CFTC's Christopher Ehrman and the IRS's Lee Martin will join Constantine Cannon Partner Eric Havian for a panel entitled "Enriching Domestic & Foreign Whistleblowers: The Growth & Spreading Reach of U.S. Programs." The panel will, among other things, look at the growing number of submissions from whistleblowers outside the United States. The OffshoreAlert Conference on financial intelligence and investigations offers a neutral forum where senior...

Constantine Cannon’s Eric Havian Will Join Panel with SEC, CFTC & IRS Whistleblowing Chiefs at OffshoreAlert Conference

The SEC's Jane Norberg, the CFTC's Christopher Ehrman and the IRS's Lee Martin will join Constantine Cannon Partner Eric Havian for a panel entitled "Enriching Domestic & Foreign Whistleblowers: The Growth & Spreading Reach Of US Programs." The panel will, among other things, look at the growing number of submissions from whistleblowers outside the United States. The OffshoreAlert Conference on financial intelligence and investigations offers a neutral forum where senior...