1. Home
  2. Practices
  3. Whistleblower Representation
  4. Recent Government Enforcement
  5. DOJ Enforcement Actions
Have a Claim?

Click here for a confidential contact or call:

1-212-350-2774 
								
			


								
						
			


								
			

	
Whistleblower Quiz

	
Would you blow the whistle?

 Take our Quiz


									
	
						

		

			
			

				

					
DOJ Enforcement Actions

					
The Department of Justice is the principal federal agency authorized to enforce the laws and defend the interests of the United States. As such, it oversees the enforcement of the False Claims Act, the foundation of the American whistleblower system, as well as numerous other laws.


The agency traces its origins to the Judiciary Act of 1789 which created the Office of the Attorney General, and the 1870 Act to Establish the Department of Justice, which established the agency as “an executive department of the government of the United States” with the Attorney General as its head.


The agency is comprised of numerous divisions with the Civil Division and in some instances, the Criminal Division, overseeing investigations and prosecutions under the False Claims Act. The U.S. Attorneys Office of the federal district where the False Claims Act case is filed also plays a key role in False Claims Act enforcement.


Below are summaries of recent DOJ settlements or successful resolutions under the False Claims Act as well as other successful prosecutions for fraud and misconduct. If you believe you have information about fraud which could give  rise to a claim for a whistleblower reward, please contact us to speak with one of our experienced whistleblower attorneys.

				

			

			
						
					
			

	
		
		

			

				
				
September 21, 2015

				 Stewart Parnell, former owner and president of Peanut Corporation of America, was sentenced to 28 years in prison for his role in shipping salmonella-positive peanut products before the results of microbiological testing were received and falsifying microbiological test results.  It is the largest criminal sentence ever in a food safety case.  Also sentenced to 20 years and 5 years respectively for their role in the misconduct was Mr. Parnell’s brother Michael, who worked on behalf of PCA as a food broker, and Mary Wilkerson, who held various PCA positions including receptionist, office manager and quality assurance manager.  Whistleblower Insider				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 21, 2015

				 Non-profit healthcare organization Adventist Health System agreed to pay $115 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by maintaining improper compensation arrangements with referring physicians and by miscoding claims.  The allegations originated in two whistleblower lawsuits filed by former Adventist hospital employees Michael Payne, Melissa Church and Gloria Pryor under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  The will receive a yet-to-be-determined whistleblower award from the government’s recovery. DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Anti-Kickback and Stark, 
													  FCA Federal, 
													  Hospital Fraud, 
													  Medical Billing Fraud, 
													  Multiple Whistleblowers and First-to-File, 
													  Whistleblower Case, 
													  Whistleblower Rewards, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 21, 2015

				 Bayer CropScience LP agreed to resolve violations of federal chemical accident prevention laws at its facility in Institute, West Virginia, where an explosion killed two people in 2008.  Under the settlement, the company committed to spending $4.23 million to improve emergency preparedness and response in Institute and protect the Kanawha River, paying a $975,000 penalty, and spending approximately $452,000 to implement a series of measures to improve safety at chemical storage facilities across the US.  DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Environmental Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 18, 2015

				 Mary Talaga, the primary medical biller at Medicall Physicians Group Ltd., a Chicago-area visiting physician practice, was sentenced to 45 months in prison and to pay $1 million in restitution for her role in a $4 million health care fraud scheme.  The evidence at trial showed that Talaga and her co-conspirators routinely billed Medicare for overseeing patient care plans when in fact the doctors at Medicall rarely provided the service.  DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Medical Billing Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 17, 2015

				 Detroit-based auto maker General Motors entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with a host of federal regulators to settle criminal and civil charges of failing to disclose a deadly safety defect in its cars relating to the ignition switch.  Under the agreement, GM will pay $900 million and have an independent monitor appointed to oversee GM’s reporting of safety Issues and public statements.  Whistleblower Insider				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Auto Safety, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 16, 2015

				 Kayaba Industry Co. Ltd. (dba KYB Corporation) agreed to plead guilty and to pay a $62 million criminal fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix the price of shock absorbers installed in cars and motorcycles sold to US consumers.  Specifically, KYB conspired from the mid-1990s until 2012 to fix the prices of shock absorbers sold to Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. (manufacturer of Subaru vehicles), Honda Motor Co., Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Nissan Motor Company, Suzuki Motor Corporation and Toyota Motor Company.  DOJ				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 15, 2015

				 North Broward Hospital District, operator of hospitals and other health care facilities in the Broward County, Florida area, agreed to pay $69.5 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by engaging in improper financial relationships with referring physicians.  According to the government, the hospital district provided compensation to nine employed physicians that exceeded the fair market value of their services violating both the Stark Statute and False Claims Act.  The allegations first arose from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Dr. Michael Reilly under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act.  Dr. Reilly will receive a whistleblower award of roughly $12 million.  DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Anti-Kickback and Stark, 
													  FCA Federal, 
													  Hospital Fraud, 
													  Whistleblower Case, 
													  Whistleblower Rewards, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 11, 2015

				 PAE Government Services Inc. and RM Asia (HK) Limited agreed to pay $1.45 million to resolve allegations they engaged in a bid-rigging scheme that resulted in false claims for payment under a US Army contract for services in Afghanistan.  In 2007, the Army awarded PAE a contract to provide vehicle maintenance capabilities and training services for the Afghanistan National Army at multiple sites across Afghanistan.  PAE partnered with RM Asia to supply and warehouse vehicle parts.  According to the government, former managers of PAE and RM Asia funneled subcontracts paid for by the government to companies owned by the former managers and their relatives by using confidential bid information to ensure that their companies would beat out other, honest competitors.  DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Bribery and Bid-Rigging, 
													  Defense Contract Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 11, 2015

				 A federal jury convicted Houston psychiatrist Sharon Iglehart of participating in a $158 million Medicare fraud scheme involving false claims for mental health treatment.  According to evidence presented at trial, from 2006 until June 2012, Iglehart and others engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting, through Riverside General Hospital, approximately $158 million in false and fraudulent claims for partial hospitalization program services to Medicare beneficiaries who did not actually receive the services.  DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Medical Billing Fraud, 
													  Provider Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
September 10, 2015

				 Tennessee-based non-profit hospice care provider Alive Hospice, Inc.paid roughly $1.5 million to reimburse the government for alleged violations of the False Claims Act through overbilling of Medicare and TennCare for hospice services.  According to the government, Alive submitted claims to Medicare and TennCare for general inpatient hospice care for patients who did not qualify for that care.  The allegations originated in a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Linda Anderson, a triage nurse who previously worked for Alive, under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. She will receive a whistleblower award of $263,197. Whistleblower Insider				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Home Health and Hospice, 
													  Lack of Medical Necessity, 
													  Whistleblower Case, 
													  Whistleblower Rewards, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			


											

						

								

									
1
…
206
207
208
209
210
211
212
…
254
								

						

					

												
		
 
	
 

 



	


	

		

			

								
							
Learn about Whistleblower Rewards Programs
			
	
		

		
	
			

									

													False Claims Act					  							State & Local False Claims Acts					  							SEC Program					  							CFTC Program					  							IRS Program					  					

								See More			
	
		

	
		

	




	


	

		

			

				

					

						
Newsletter

						
Subscribe to receive email updates from the Constantine Cannon blogs

					
	
				
	
			
	
			
	
				
Sign up for: