Whistleblower Question of the Week: How Do Financial Rewards Work for Whistleblowers?

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team In the United States, financial rewards for whistleblowers are offered through several government programs designed to encourage individuals to report fraud, misconduct, or violations of the law. What Is a Whistleblower Reward? By initiating actions under the False Claims Act and other whistleblower reward laws and programs, whistleblowers may receive a percentage of the money the government recovers as a result of their information. If...

Two Recent Whistleblower-Initiated Cases Targeting Pandemic Scams Underscore the Government’s Commitment to Combat Fraud

In March 2020, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and offered forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to small businesses. This emergency relief was intended to help businesses with applicable expenses during the pandemic. How Businesses Attempted to Defraud the Government During COVID-19 Many businesses used this time as an opportunity to defraud the government and failed to comply with the loan requirements. This...

Zakia Khan Pleads Guilty to $68M Adult Social Day Care and Home Health Care Medicaid Fraud Scheme in New York

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On August 6, the government announced that Zakia Khan pleaded guilty in federal court to conspiring to defraud Medicaid of roughly $68 million through kickbacks and bribes at two New York-based social adult day care centers that she owned in Coney Island called Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Happy Family) and Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Family Social), a home...

Government Secures $114.5M In False Claims Act Recoveries From Cancer Genetic Testing Kickback Scheme

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Thursday (July 17), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the final False Claims Act recovery in a cancer genetic testing kickback scheme involving the Medicaid programs of Colorado, Georgia, and South Carolina. 1  Kevin Murdock, former owner and CEO of the now-defunct testing lab Premier Medical, agreed to a consent judgment of roughly $27.5 million. Defendants Allegedly Duped Medicaid Beneficiaries Into Medically Unnecessary Cancer...

DOJ Launches Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/shorts/sehuAPf_YO8[/embed] By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On July 8, the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division announced its creation of the Antitrust Whistleblower Rewards Program, which “will offer rewards for individuals who report antitrust crimes and related offenses that harm consumers, taxpayers, and free market competition across industries from healthcare to agriculture.” 1  It is the first rewards program specifically targeting antitrust whistleblowers and comes after years of failed efforts...

DOJ Announces False Claims Act Working Group Targeting Healthcare Fraud, Sending the Call Out For Whistleblowers to Help

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On July 2, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the creation of a Working Group with the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) “to advance priority enforcement areas” under the False Claims Act. 1 It follows what DOJ describes as a “long history” of partnering with HHS to use the statute to go after healthcare fraud. The False Claims Act is DOJ's Primary Fraud-Fighting...

Health Wealth Will Pay $1.29M to Resolve Whistleblower-Initiated False Claims Act Lawsuit

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Georgia-based Health Wealth Safe, Inc. (Health Wealth) and its owner, Dr. Subodh Agrawal, have agreed to pay $1.29 million to settle allegations that they knowingly caused the submission of false claims to Medicare. Whistleblower Lawsuit Filed by Former Employee This lawsuit was brought under the whistleblower or qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act (FCA) by a former Health Wealth employee in United States...

Three Constantine Cannon Attorneys Selected to “2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers” 

(NEW YORK) June 6, 2025 -- Constantine Cannon is pleased to announce that three of the firm’s lawyers, Jean Kim, Marlene Koury, and Taline Sahakian, were named in the 2025 Lawdragon 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers guide.1 This announcement follows Ms. Sahakian’s selection to Lawdragon’s 2025 Leading Global Antitrust and Competition Lawyers guide.   Lawdragon’s Announcement   The 500 Leading Plaintiff Financial Lawyers honorees were selected through submissions, journalistic research, editorial vetting,...

Brace Yourself: Jury Finds Co-Conspirator Guilty in $1.4B Medicare DME Fraud Scheme

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team The first week of June is Medicare Fraud Prevention Week, geared toward raising awareness and safeguarding the integrity of a crucial healthcare system on which many Americans rely. While this initiative and this case do not expressly call out to whistleblowers, we are! This recent government enforcement action concerning a Medicare fraud scheme serves as a reminder that individuals can blow the whistle and come...

Catholic Health Pays Over $3M to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On May 16, U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Catholic Health System, Inc. (CHS) agreed to pay $3,293,122.66 to settle False Claims Act allegations that it knowingly submitted or caused the submission of false claims to the Medicare program by engaging in improper financial relationships with physicians in violation of the Stark Law1. About The Stark Law The Stark Law prohibits hospitals or other healthcare...