Whistleblower Insider Blog

Question of the Week — Should Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) be allowed to deny patients access to essential life-saving drugs prescribed by their doctor?

Posted 08/19/19

As described in a recent article in The Fresno Bee, thousands of patients nation-wide have been denied access to essential life-saving medications by pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) under the guise of ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate and cost-effective treatment. PBMs are the quintessential “middlemen” in the healthcare system, standing between patients and their physicians on one side, and...

Tagged in: Pharma Fraud, Question of the Week,

Catch of the Week — Yukom Communications and Others Face CFTC Claims of Binary Options Fraud

Posted 08/16/19

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission filed suit against five entities and four individuals on August 12, 2019, in the Northern District of Illinois for running a $103 million fraudulent binary options scheme. The defendants, led by Israeli company Yukom Communications Ltd.,which marketed binary options using two websites known as BinaryBook and BigOption. In recent years, the CFTC has targeted fraudulent binary...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Financial and Investment Fraud, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, Market Manipulation and Trading Violations, Misrepresentations,

Tech Whistleblowers Needed: Inquire Within

Posted 08/16/19

Facebook, Google, Samsung, Microsoft – we rely on large tech companies to safeguard our privacy and time and again they let us down. Yet tech companies are known to be highly selective employers, hiring the best and brightest and often paying better than companies in other industries. So how is it that they remain vulnerable to data breaches with such talent at their disposal? Cisco whistleblower James Glenn has...

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, Contract Non-Compliance, Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, International Whistleblowers,

Whistleblower Suit Revived by Third Circuit Despite Settlement in Related State Court Action

Posted 08/13/19

Judge's bench with empty chair and gavel

In United States ex rel. Jean Charte v. American Tutor, Inc., the Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit reversed dismissal of a whistleblower’s qui tam action under the False Claims Act, giving the whistleblower the right to pursue her claims. The district court had dismissed the action under state law res judicata principals, because the relator had settled a defamation action brought in state court against her by...

Tagged in: Confidentiality and The Seal, Court Decision, Education Fraud, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Decision, Whistleblower Case,

Constantine Cannon Client’s Historic False Claims Act Settlement Against Cisco for Cybersecurity Fraud Makes Headlines

Posted 08/9/19

Numbers One and Zero for Coding with Word Hacked

If you’ve ever seen a heist movie, you likely know the scene. The technology-savvy member of a motley crew of criminals is huddled in a van or in a secret lair, surrounded by monitors. After a tense few minutes of maniacal typing, he or she yells “I’m in!” and hacks into the video surveillance system of the target hotel/casino/museum. In an instant, the cameras switch off or go to a pre-taped reel, and the...

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, Contract Non-Compliance, Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, International Whistleblowers, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

DOJ Catch of the Week — Beaver Medical Group

Posted 08/9/19

Yesterday, California-based Beaver Medical Group and one of its physicians, Dr. Sherif Khalil, agreed to pay roughly $5 million to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act by reporting invalid diagnoses to Medicare Advantage plans causing those plans to receive inflated payments from Medicare. It is the latest example of what has become a strong government commitment to pursuing fraud in the Medicare...

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medical Billing Fraud, Medicare, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

Question of the Week — Should Companies Face Tougher Consequences for Cybersecurity Breaches?

Posted 08/8/19

Last month, a whistleblower represented by Constantine Cannon became the first person to win a False Claims Act settlement for cybersecurity fraud. The whistleblower, a former Cisco Systems employee, allegedly warned the company back in 2008 that its Video Surveillance Manager (VSM) system was highly vulnerable to attacks by hackers. The system’s flaws allegedly could have enabled hackers to delete video footage,...

Tagged in: Cybersecurity and Data Breaches,

This Week in Whistleblower History: National Whistleblower Day and the Creation of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs

Posted 08/2/19

This week marks the seventh year in a row that Congress has designated July 30^th National Whistleblower Day, honoring the occasion, on July 30, 1778, when the Continental Congress unanimously enacted the first whistleblower protection law in the United States. The law was passed in response to a petition to the Continental Congress filed by a group of ten American sailors and marines, who reported that their...

Tagged in: Healthcare Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, Medicaid, Medicare, Whistleblower Eligibility, Whistleblower Rewards,

Cisco Whistleblower Represented by Constantine Cannon Wins First-Ever False Claims Act Settlement for Cybersecurity Fraud

Posted 07/31/19

In the first cybersecurity whistleblower case ever successfully litigated under the False Claims Act, Cisco Systems, Inc. has agreed to an $8.6 million settlement to resolve allegations it knowingly sold vulnerable video surveillance software to federal, state and local government agencies, exposing government systems to the risk of unauthorized access and the manipulation of vital information. This qui tam...

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, Contract Non-Compliance, Cybersecurity and Data Breaches, FCA Federal, FCA State, Government Procurement Fraud, International Whistleblowers, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

Catch of the Week — Comprehensive Pain Specialists Targeted for Urine Drug Testing Fraud

Posted 07/26/19

Laboratory sample vial lying on procedure coding form

Our Catch of the Week goes to Comprehensive Pain Specialists (CPS), a now-shuttered pain-management chain that was once one of the largest in the nation, treating as many as 48,000 pain patients a month at about 60 clinics across 11 states. CPS shut down in 2018 with little warning to patients and employees. On Monday, July 22, the United States and the State of Tennessee announced their partial intervention in...

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Bundling and Unbundling, Catch of the Week, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Improper Medical Personnel, Laboratory and IDTF, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medical Billing Fraud, Whistleblower Case,

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Question of the Week — Should Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) be allowed to deny patients access to essential life-saving drugs prescribed by their doctor?

Catch of the Week — Yukom Communications and Others Face CFTC Claims of Binary Options Fraud

Tech Whistleblowers Needed: Inquire Within

Whistleblower Suit Revived by Third Circuit Despite Settlement in Related State Court Action

Constantine Cannon Client’s Historic False Claims Act Settlement Against Cisco for Cybersecurity Fraud Makes Headlines

DOJ Catch of the Week — Beaver Medical Group

Question of the Week — Should Companies Face Tougher Consequences for Cybersecurity Breaches?

This Week in Whistleblower History: National Whistleblower Day and the Creation of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs

Cisco Whistleblower Represented by Constantine Cannon Wins First-Ever False Claims Act Settlement for Cybersecurity Fraud

Catch of the Week — Comprehensive Pain Specialists Targeted for Urine Drug Testing Fraud

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Question of the Week — Should Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) be allowed to deny patients access to essential life-saving drugs prescribed by their doctor?

Catch of the Week — Yukom Communications and Others Face CFTC Claims of Binary Options Fraud

Tech Whistleblowers Needed: Inquire Within

Whistleblower Suit Revived by Third Circuit Despite Settlement in Related State Court Action

Constantine Cannon Client’s Historic False Claims Act Settlement Against Cisco for Cybersecurity Fraud Makes Headlines

DOJ Catch of the Week — Beaver Medical Group

Question of the Week — Should Companies Face Tougher Consequences for Cybersecurity Breaches?

This Week in Whistleblower History: National Whistleblower Day and the Creation of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs

Cisco Whistleblower Represented by Constantine Cannon Wins First-Ever False Claims Act Settlement for Cybersecurity Fraud

Catch of the Week — Comprehensive Pain Specialists Targeted for Urine Drug Testing Fraud

Learn about Whistleblower Rewards Programs

Newsletter

Subscribe to receive email updates from the Constantine Cannon blogs

Sign up for: