Whistleblower Insider Blog

FTC Sends Warning Letters to Many Funeral Homes

Posted 01/26/24

Whist Coffin in Hearse with White Flowers

We often see whistleblowers come forward to stop fraud and other misconduct that takes advantage of people at their most vulnerable times. It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable time than when family and friends are grieving the loss of a loved one and trying to arrange their funeral. It’s good to see the FTC is on the case to protect consumers in this context. On January 25, the FTC announced it is...

Tagged in: Falsifying Invoices,

Top Ten SEC and CFTC Recoveries of 2023

Posted 01/24/24

It was an active year for fraud enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Though by no means was it a record year for either regulator in terms of big-ticket wins. Aside from the CFTC's $1.7 billion recovery from South African crypto company Mirror Trading for foul play with foreign currency transactions, the balance of the Top-10 recoveries was...

Tagged in: Bribery and Bid-Rigging, Cryptocurrency, FCPA, Financial and Investment Fraud, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, Misrepresentations, Securities Fraud, Top 10,

Silver Lake Hospital and Investors Pay $30 Million to Settle Health Care Case

Posted 01/22/24

Silver Lake Hospital, operating as Columbus LTACH in Newark, New Jersey, and certain investors recently agreed to pay a combined $30.6 million to settle False Claims Act allegations relating to Medicare payments and violations under the Federal Debt Collection Procedures Act (FDCPA). Silver Lake is a long-term care hospital a whistleblower alleged was claiming excessive "cost outlier" payments from Medicare, a...

Tagged in: FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Medicare,

Top Ten Whistleblower Recoveries for 2023

Posted 01/22/24

2023 was another big year for whistleblowers, helping the government recover billions of dollars in dozens of fraud enforcement actions. As usual, virtually all these whistleblower-prompted recoveries were under the government's three primary whistleblower rewards programs -- the False Claims Act, the SEC Whistleblower Program, and the CFTC Whistleblower Program. Successful whistleblowers under each of these...

Tagged in: CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, FCA Federal, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Top 10, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

Top FCPA Recoveries of 2023

Posted 01/19/24

Mix of Foreign Currency Scattered Around

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) bars payments to foreign officials for any kind of business advantage, such as securing government contracts or other kinds of favorable business treatment. The statute covers any form of consideration including gifts, meals, travel, and entertainment. It also imposes strict record-keeping and internal control requirements to prevent falsifying company books and records...

Tagged in: Ballsy Bribes, Bribery and Bid-Rigging, Falsifying Invoices, FCPA, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Securities Fraud, Top 10,

SEC Goes After JP Morgan for Violating Whistleblower Protection Rule

Posted 01/18/24

Add JP Morgan Securities to the ever-expanding list of companies the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has gone after for violating the agency's Whistleblower Protection Rule -- SEC Rule 21F-17(a). This rule broadly prohibits companies from taking any action to impede or discourage whistleblowers from reporting suspected securities violations to the SEC. Yesterday (January 16), the SEC announced the JP...

Tagged in: Securities Fraud, Whistleblower Protection Laws,

Top Ten SEC and CFTC Whistleblower Awards for 2023

Posted 01/16/24

Anonamous Person on Phone Pointing to Book with Charts and Numbers

It was a relatively quiet year for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in their payout of whistleblower awards under their respective whistleblower programs. Under the SEC Program and CFTC Program -- both enacted under the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act -- whistleblowers who provide information that leads to a successful government...

Tagged in: CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets, SEC Whistleblower Reward Program, Securities Fraud, Top 10, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

Catch of the Week: SAP SE

Posted 01/16/24

This week's Department of Justice (DOJ) Catch of the Week goes to SAP SE (SAP). On Wednesday (January 10), the German-based software company agreed to pay roughly $220 million to settle DOJ and SEC charges of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) through bribes to government officials in South Africa and Indonesia. The FCPA bars payments to foreign officials for any kind of business advantage, such...

Tagged in: Bribery and Bid-Rigging, Catch of the Week, FCPA, Securities Fraud,

Testing Lab and Owner/CEO Settle False Claims Act Case for $13.25 Million

Posted 01/12/24

Laboratory Analysis. Scientist Measuring Sample

RDx Bioscience Inc. (“RDx”), a clinical laboratory that operated in New Jersey, and its owner and CEO agreed to pay $13.25 million to settle a False Claims Act case alleging kickbacks and unnecessary testing schemes, according to a recent DOJ press release. The press release also notes that RDx and its owner/CEO agreed to cooperate with the DOJ’s “investigations of, and litigation against, other participants...

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud, Laboratory and IDTF, Lack of Medical Necessity,

Top Ten False Claims Act Recoveries in 2023

Posted 01/11/24

It was another big year for DOJ enforcement under the False Claims Act, the government's primary fraud-fighting tool. As usual, most of the recoveries were in the healthcare space with seven of the Top-10 involving various schemes to defraud Medicare and Medicaid. Several of these Top-10 recoveries involved enforcement actions targeting violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and Stark Law, which prohibit medical...

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Electronic Health Records, FCA Federal, Government Programs Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Medicaid, Medical Billing Fraud, Medicare, Top 10, Whistleblower Case,

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