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:

1-347-417-2192 
								
			


								
						
			


								
			

	
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.

				

			

			
						
					
			

	
		
		

			

				
				
February 14, 2022

				 Zachary Joseph Horwitz, 35, of Los Angeles, CA will spend 20 years in federal prison and was ordered to pay over $230 million in restitution. Horwitz raised $650 million from over 250 investors in his Ponzi scheme—investors who were lied to about future licensing and distribution agreements with online platforms such as Netflix and HBO. Horwitz operated his Ponzi scheme via 1inMM Capital, duping five major groups of private investors through hundreds of 6- and 12-month promissory notes, which he defaulted on. Horwitz initiated the scheme in 2014, and it remained active until his arrest by the FBI in April 2021. USAO CDCA				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Criminal Proceedings, 
													  Financial and Investment Fraud, 
													  Misrepresentations, 
													  Ponzi Schemes, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
February 10, 2022

				 Bradley Jason Kantor, 49, will spend 10 years in federal prison after being found guilty of paying kickbacks for referrals to his immunotherapy and antigen business, Mobile Diagnostic Imaging, Inc. (MDI). MDI received more than $12 million from the scheme in which MDI submitted approximately $42 million in false claims to United Healthcare, for which services were never rendered. USAO SDFL				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Anti-Kickback and Stark, 
													  Criminal Proceedings, 
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Laboratory and IDTF, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
February 9, 2022

				 The Catholic Medical Center (CMC) will pay $3.8 million for violations of the False Claims Act and the Anti-Kickback Statute. Over a ten-year period, the CMC provided call coverage services to a cardiologist, for free, in exchange for lucrative referrals to their hospital, resulting in receipt of millions of dollars for services and medical procedures. USAO NH				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Anti-Kickback and Stark, 
													  FCA Materiality, 
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Hospital Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
February 2, 2022

				 New York healthcare provider The Door - A Center for Alternatives has agreed to pay $12.9 million to resolve claims that it submitted false claims for reimbursement to New York's Indigent Care Pool, which is funded by Medicaid.  The Door was required to submit annual cost reports to New York reporting figures including the number of "threshold visits" to its ambulatory diagnostic and treatment center.  A qui tam case initiated by two whistleblowers alleged that defendant knowingly inflated the number of threshold visits to increase payments.   SDNY				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  FCA Federal, 
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Medicaid, 
													  Other Government Health Programs, 
													  Provider Fraud, 
													  Whistleblower Case, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
January 28, 2022

				 Hayat Pharmacy agreed to pay over $2 Million to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for certain prescription medications from its 23 locations. The government alleged Hayat Pharmacy submitted false claims for two prescription medications, a topical cream consisting of iodoquinol, hydrocortisone, and aloe, and a multivitamin with the trade name Azesco.  Hayat Pharmacy allegedly switched Medicaid and Medicare patients from lower cost medications to the higher cost medications without any medical need and/or without a valid prescription. As part of the settlement, Hayat Pharmacy agreed to conduct annual training concerning waste, fraud and abuse, and compliance with rules concerning medication switches. USAO WI				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  FCA Federal, 
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Medicaid, 
													  Medicare, 
													  Pharma Fraud, 
													  Whistleblower Case, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
January 31, 2022

				 Signal Peak Energy LLC (“Signal”) was fined $1 million and sentenced to three years of probation for violating environmental and worker safety regulations at Signal Peak Mine near Roundup, MN. According to the government, Signal habitually violated mandatory health and safety standards in the Mine Safety and Health Act during the mine’s operation. These violations included both environmental safety and worker safety standards. The violations occurred with the full knowledge, direction and participation of the mine’s most senior management during that period, including the president and CEO, the vice president of surface operations, the vice president of underground operations and the safety manager. USAO MN				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Criminal Proceedings, 
													  Environmental Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
January 31, 2022

				 Cardinal Health agreed to pay more than $13 Million to settle allegations it violated the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act by paying “upfront discounts” to its physician practices. According to the government, Cardinal Health recruited new customers by offering and paying cash bonuses that were not attributable to identifiable sales or were purported rebates which Cardinal Health’s customers had not actually earned. In connection with the settlement, the whistleblowers who brought the case will receive approximately $2.6 million of the recovery. USAO MA				 					 

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

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
January 20, 2022

				 Florida resident Mary Kathryn Marr was sentenced to 14 years in prison following her guilty plea on charges related to her role in a criminal enterprise that scammed victims into sending members of the conspiracy funds for fraudulent investments based on high-pressure “boiler room” tactics.  The conspirators operated a network of bank accounts in the names of shell companies into which the boiler room agents, and sometimes Marr herself, instructed victims to send their money.  The victims’ funds were then laundered through more bank accounts and sent overseas.  Marr was also ordered to forfeit various assets, pay a fine of $1.5 million, and pay restitution of $14.5 million to victims.  USAO MD FL				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Criminal Proceedings, 
													  Financial and Investment Fraud, 
													  Misrepresentations, 
													  Ponzi Schemes, 
													  Securities Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
January 20, 2022

				 A three-year-long kickback scheme effectuated by a hospital executive and seven doctors will net the DOJ a $1.1 million settlement and their continued cooperation in the investigation of and litigation against other parties. The Stark Law and Anti-Kickback Statute violations occurred over a three-year period, wherein management service organizations (MSOs) paid volume-based commissions kickbacks for ordering laboratory tests from Rockdale Hospital d/b/a Little River Healthcare, True Health Diagnostics LLC, and Boston Heart Diagnostics Corporation. Jaspaul Bhangoo, M.D., Robert Megna, D.O., Baxter Montgomery, M.D., Murtaza Mussaji, D.O., David Sneed, D.O., Kevin Lewis, D.O., and Angela Mosley-Nunnery, M.D. will all contribute to the settlement. Additionally, Richard Defoore, former CEO of Jones County Regional Healthcare d/b/a Stamford Memorial Hospital, also agreed to pay into the settlement fund for his contribution to the scheme. USAO EDTX				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Anti-Kickback and Stark, 
													  Healthcare Fraud, 
													  Hospital Fraud, 
													  Laboratory and IDTF, 
													  Provider Fraud, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			




	
		
		

			

				
				
January 14, 2022

				 Perry Santillo was sentenced to 17.5 years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $100 million following his conviction on charges related to fraudulent investment schemes including the solicitation of funds through and for Lucian Development and City Capital Corporation.  The Ponzi scheme, which operated over ten years, obtained at least $115.5 million from approximately 1000 investors. Santillo and his co-conspirators purchased the businesses of investment advisors and brokers around the country in order to find potential new investors, and used new investments to fund their lavish lifestyles and make interest and other payments to earlier investors. USAO WD NY (related co-defendant)				 					 

						
Tagged in:
													  Criminal Proceedings, 
													  Financial and Investment Fraud, 
													  Misrepresentations, 
													  Ponzi Schemes, 
												
						

					
	
							
	
		
		
	


 			


											

						

								

									
1
…
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
…
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: