January 9, 2015

Global pharmaceutical company Daiichi Sankyo Inc. agreed to pay $39 million to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to induce physicians to prescribe Daiichi drugs, including Azor, Benicar, Tribenzor and Welchol. According to the government, Daiichi paid physicians improper kickbacks in the form of speaker fees as part of Daiichi’s Physician Organization and Discussion programs which were often just lavish dinners with the speaking physicians’...

Whistleblower News From The Inside — January 22, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team CenterLight Healthcare pays $46.7m to settle Medicaid fraud claims -- CenterLight has admitted it improperly enrolled over 1,200 patients in its long term home health care program who attended or were referred by social adult day care centers and whose needs did not meet the billing criteria of the managed care plan.  SDNY DOJ CFTC launches whistleblower website -- The CFTC launched its Whistleblower...

December 17, 2014

Mark Morad and Dr. Divini Luccioni, both of Louisiana, pleaded guilty to their role in a $56M Medicare fraud scheme. According to court documents, Morad directed the scheme through multiple New Orleans-area companies he owned, including Interlink Health Care Services Inc.,Memorial Home Health Inc., Lakeland Health Care Services Inc., Lexmark Health Care LLC, and Med Rite Pharmacy Inc. Morad paid kickbacks to recruiters who canvassed New Orleans neighborhoods for Medicare...

December 15, 2014

Alaska and Virginia-based technology contractors Eyak Technology LLC and Eyak Services LLC agreed to pay $2.5M to settle charges of alleged False Claims Act and Anti-Kickback Act violations. According to the government, from 2005 to 2011 EyakTek held a $1 billion prime contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and EyakTek’s then-director of contracts, Harold Babb, accepted kickbacks from several subcontractors of EyakTek and ESL in return for using...

December 2, 2014

Luis Duluc, a Florida owner and operator of multiple physical therapy rehabilitation facilities, was sentenced to serve 11 years in prison for his role in organizing a $28.3M Medicare fraud scheme involving physical and occupational therapy services. Duluc was chairman and president of a Delaware holding company known as Ulysses Acquisitions Inc. which was used to purchase comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facilities and outpatient physical therapy providers, including West Coast Rehab...

November 17, 2014

New York environmental remediation firm Sevenson Environmental Services Inc. agreed to pay more than $2.7M to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Act by accepting kickbacks, rigging bids and passing inflated charges to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in connection with work performed at the Federal Creosote Superfund Site in Manville, New Jersey. According to the government, Sevenson solicited and accepted more than $1.6M...

November 14, 2014

Detroit-area physician Dr. Rajesh Doshi pleaded guilty for orchestrating — through his medical practice Home Physicians Services— the submission of fraudulent claims for physician home visits as part of a $19M home health care fraud scheme. According to his plea agreement, Dr. Doshi admitted that between October 2005 and September 2012, he conspired with others to commit health care fraud by referring Medicare beneficiaries for home health care that was...

November 13, 2014

Five South Florida residents, Dennis Hernandez, Juan Valdes, Jose Alvarez, Joel San Pedro and Alina Hernandez, pleaded guilty to a long-running $6.2M Medicare fraud scheme involving Miami home health care agency Professional Medical Home Health LLC that purported to provide home health and therapy services. According to admissions in their plea agreements, the defendants through Professional Home Health billed Medicare for expensive physical therapy and home health services that were...

November 13, 2014

Ramon Regueira, owner of Miami home health care company Nation’s Best Care Home Health Corp., pleaded guilty for his role in a $30M home health Medicare fraud scheme. Regueira admitted that he and his co-conspirators operated Nation’s Best for the purpose of billing the Medicare program for expensive physical therapy and home health care services not medically necessary or provided. Specifically, Regueira admitted he and his co-conspirators paid kickbacks and...

November 6, 2014

Medical device maker Biotronik Inc. agreed to pay $4.9M to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to induce physicians to use its products. Specifically, the government charged that Biotronik induced electrophysiologists and cardiologists practicing in Nevada and Arizona to use Biotronik pacemakers, defibrillators and cardiac resynchronization therapy devices by paying them in the form of repeated meals at expensive restaurants and inflated payments for membership...