Whistleblower Insider Blog

Donor and Legacy Admissions Policies at Undergraduate Institutions Face Scrutiny

Posted 08/2/23

The U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights (DOE-OCR) has opened an investigation of Harvard College’s undergraduate donor and legacy admissions practices for discrimination based on race, under Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Title VI prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin in any program that receives federal financial assistance from DOE, and Harvard is a...

Tagged in: Education Fraud,

Thomas Jefferson University Pays $2.7 Million to Settle Student Loan Fraud Allegations

Posted 07/28/23

Thomas Jefferson University has agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations concerning the misuse and improper retention of "primary care" student financial aid loans. Education fraud encompasses traditional financial aid programs as well as specialty loan programs like the Primary Care Loan program at issue here. Congress established the Primary Care Loan program to address the nation’s shortage of primary...

Tagged in: Education Fraud, Government Programs Fraud,

July 30 Is National Whistleblower Appreciation Day -- Have You Thanked A Whistleblower Lately?

Posted 07/28/23

July 30 is National Whistleblower Appreciation Day. Thanks to Senators Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), co-heads of the Senate Whistleblower Protection Caucus, it is the tenth year in a row for this annual marker to celebrate whistleblowers and the critical role they play in protecting our health and well-being. In announcing their bipartisan resolution designating this special day, the senators...

Tagged in: CC Lawyers, Importance of Whistleblowers,

Grassley Leads Bipartisan Effort to Shore Up CFTC Whistleblower Program

Posted 07/28/23

On Wednesday (July 26), Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) announced his bipartisan charge to adopt legislation to strengthen the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Whistleblower Program. This is the program that both encourages and protects individuals for coming forward with information relating to potential violations of the Commodities Exchange Act and rewards them with up to 30 percent of any government...

Tagged in: CFTC Whistleblower Reward Program, Fraud in CFTC-Regulated Markets,

Channeling the Inner Whistleblower in Yusuf/Cat Stevens on His 75th Birthday

Posted 07/27/23

Yusuf/Cat Stevens turned 75 last week (born July 21, 1948). He continues to build a musical legacy few can match. Tens of millions of records. Billions of music streams. Songwriters Hall of Fame. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. Humanitarian awards. Honorary degrees. And so much more. But beyond the many accolades is his enduring sound. Oh that sound. A voice for the...

Catch of the Week: Booz Allen Hamilton

Posted 07/24/23

Businessman Giving Contract to Person to Sign

This week's catch of the week goes to Virginia-based military contractor Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corporation. On Friday (July 21), the company agreed to pay the United States a whopping $377 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by billing the government for costs unrelated to its government contracts. Government contractors may only charge the government for costs directly related to a...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, Contract Non-Compliance, FCA Federal, Government Procurement Fraud, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

District Court Rules that Broad Measure of Damages Applies in False Claims Act Case, Greatly Increasing Defendants’ Exposure

Posted 07/21/23

Several aspects of the federal False Claims Act incentivize the government and relators to bring fraud claims to recover damages to the government. In addition to awarding relators typically between 15% and 30% of the proceeds of the action or settlement; awarding reasonable attorneys’ fees, expenses, and costs; and applying statutory penalties for each false claim submitted; the act also provides for treble...

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Court Decision, FCA Federal, Healthcare Fraud,

Scoundrel Spotlight - The Grenon Family

Posted 07/21/23

Bottle of Green Liquid with Empty Bottles Around

This week's Scoundrel in the Spotlight is Mark Grenon and his three sons, Jonathan, Joseph, and Jordan. As reported in the Miami Herald, on Wednesday (July 19) a Florida jury convicted them for selling a toxic bleach solution as a miracle cure out of a fake online church. They called it a "Miracle Mineral Solution" and pitched it as a cure for 95% of the world's diseases from AIDS to COVID-19. The jury returned...

Tagged in: Criminal Proceedings,

IRS Whistleblower Office Issues Fiscal Year 2022 Report: Challenges Persist but Program Recovers $172.7 Million Nonetheless

Posted 07/17/23

The IRS Whistleblower Office has released its Annual Report to Congress for the 2022 fiscal year. The report describes the tax fraud tips sent by whistleblowers to the IRS Whistleblower Program, the proceeds collected thanks to those tips, and the whistleblower awards made by the Program from October 2021 through September 2022. While the Program’s collected proceeds and whistleblower awards increased slightly...

Tagged in: IRS Whistleblower Reward Program, Statistics, Tax Fraud,

CFTC Whistleblower Chief Steps Down

Posted 07/14/23

Today, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced the departure of Chris Ehrman, the Director of the CFTC's Whistleblower Office since 2013. The Associate Director of the Whistleblower Office, Christina McGlosson, will serve as Acting Director. Under Mr. Ehrman's rein, the CFTC saw tremendous growth in its Whistleblower Program. In fact, last year was a record-breaking year for the program,...

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