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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.

				

			

			
						
					
			

	
		
		

			

				
				
January 6, 2015

				 Former Virginia Governor Robert F. McDonnell was sentenced to two years in prison for soliciting and obtaining payments, loans, gifts and other items from Star Scientific, a Virginia-based corporation, and Jonnie R. Williams Sr., Star Scientific’s then CEO, in violation of federal public corruption laws. According to the evidence presented at trial, from April 2011 through March 2013, McDonnell and his wife participated in a scheme to use the former governor’s official position to enrich themselves and their family members by soliciting and obtaining payments, loans, gifts and other things of value from Star Scientific and Jonnie R. Williams Sr. The McDonnells obtained these items in exchange for the former governor performing official actions to legitimize, promote and obtain research studies for Star’s products, including the dietary supplement Anatabloc. DOJ				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 31, 2014

				 Gerber Legendary Blades, a division of Fiskars Brands Inc., agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle allegations it knowingly failed to immediately report to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) a safety hazard associated with Fiskars’ Gator Combo Axe. According to the government, beginning as early as 2005 and continuing over the next several years, Fiskars received but failed to report consumer complaints and warranty claims indicating the knife fell out of the Axe handle while the Axe was being used to chop, pound or hammer, causing serious injury to users.DOJ				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 29, 2014

				 Japanese shipping company Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha agreed to plead guilty and pay a $59.4 million criminal fine for its involvement in a conspiracy to fix prices, allocate customers, and rig bids of international ocean shipping services for roll-on, roll-off cargo, such as cars and trucks, to and from the US and elsewhere. NYK is the third company to plead guilty in the government’s investigation, bringing the total agreed-upon fines to over $135 million. DOJ				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 23, 2014

				 Kentucky businessman Wilbur Anthony Huff pleaded guilty to various tax crimes that caused more than $50M in losses to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), and a massive fraud that involved the bribery of bank officials, the fraudulent purchase of an insurance company, and the defrauding of insurance regulators. DOJ				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 23, 2014

				 US Congressman Michael Grimm pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting the preparation of a false tax return by fraudulently underreporting $900,000 in restaurant gross receipts and lowering payroll taxes through ‘off-the-book’ payments in connection with the Manhattan restaurant he owned called Healthalicious. DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Employment Tax Fraud, 
													  Tax Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 23, 2014

				 Former FBI special agent Robert Lustyik pleaded guilty to bribery charges, admitting that he provided internal law enforcement documents and other confidential information about a prominent citizen of Bangladesh for use by a political rival in exchange for cash. DOJ				 			
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 22, 2014

				 Bank Leumi, a major Israeli international bank, admitted that it conspired to assist US taxpayers to prepare and present false tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) by hiding income and assets in offshore bank accounts in Israel and elsewhere around the world. The criminal conduct spanned over a 10 year period and included an array of services and products designed to keep US taxpayer accounts concealed at Bank Leumi Group’s locations in Israel, Switzerland, Luxembourg and the US. The bank agreed to pay a total of $270 million in fines and penalties and to cease to provide banking and investment services for all accounts held by US taxpayers. DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Abusive Tax Shelters, 
													  Tax Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 22, 2014

				 French power and transportation company Alstom S.A. pleaded guilty today and agreed to pay $772M to resolve charges of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act through a widespread scheme involving tens of millions of dollars in bribes in countries around the world, including Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the Bahamas. Whistleblower Insider				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  FCPA, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 19, 2014

				 Lockheed Martin subsidiary Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems agreed to pay $27.5M to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by overbilling the government on US Army contracts for work in Iraq and Afghanistan. DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Defense Contract Fraud, 
													  FCA Federal, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
December 19, 2014

				 Boston-based records storage company Iron Mountain agreed to pay $44.5M to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act by overcharging federal agencies for record storage services under General Services Administration (GSA) contracts. The charges originated with a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by Brent Stanley, a former Iron Mountain employee, and Patrick McKillop, who worked in the records management industry. Collectively, they will receive a whistleblower reward of $8M. DOJ				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  FCA Federal, 
													  Government Procurement Fraud, 
													  Whistleblower Case, 
													  Whistleblower Rewards, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			


											

						

								

									
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