COVID-19

This archive displays posts tagged as relevant to the COVID-19/Coronavirus pandemic. You may also be interested in the following pages:

DOJ Ramps Up Enforcement Against COVID-19 Fraud

Posted 04/25/22

Even as mask restrictions are being relaxed in most parts of the country, the U.S. Department of Justice is ramping up its oversight of federal funds spent to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. Just last week, DOJ announced criminal charges against 21 defendants in nine federal districts for their alleged participation in COVID-19 fraud schemes that resulted in over $149 million in false billings to federal programs.

Tagged in: COVID-19, Government Programs Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, Provider Fraud,

Catch of the Week: A Tale of Two Cons

Posted 02/10/22

The start of February 2022 brought resolutions in two different COVID-19 fraud cases, one in the Paycheck Protection Program and one in the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program. Both involved scammers with previous criminal records who fraudulently obtained COVID relief money. The Department of Justice continues to prioritize enforcement against fraudsters who take advantage of the Paycheck Protection Program,...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, COVID-19, Criminal Proceedings, FCA Federal, Government Programs Fraud,

Top Ten Financial and Healthcare Fraud Prison Sentences of 2021

Posted 01/28/22

Individuals involved in financial and healthcare fraud schemes face not just civil liability, but also criminal penalties – including prison time. In 2021, the Department of Justice obtained substantial prison sentences in a myriad of cases involving healthcare and financial frauds, many of which involved convictions of the type of fraudulent schemes that whistleblowers report. Whistleblowers play an essential role...

Tagged in: Compounding Pharmacy Fraud, COVID-19, Criminal Proceedings, Education Fraud, Financial and Investment Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Home Health and Hospice, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medicare, Money Laundering, Ponzi Schemes, Securities Fraud, Top 10,

November 16, 2021

Richard Ayvazyan was sentence to 17 years in prison, his wife Marietta Terabelian to six years, and his brother Artur Ayvazyan to five years, following their convictions at trial on charges related to their scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $20 million in Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan COVID-19 relief funds. The defendants used dozens of false identities to submit fraudulent applications for approximately 150 PPP and EIDL loans, supporting applications with false and fictitious documents including fake identity documents, tax documents and payroll records. DOJ; USAO CD Cal

Tagged in: COVID-19, Criminal Proceedings, Financial and Investment Fraud, Government Loan Programs,

Catch of the Week: Classic Medicare Fraud

Posted 11/5/21

For those like your correspondents who spend their days deep in the weeds of complex Medicare fraud, it’s a delight when something refreshingly simple comes along. Thanks to Billy Joe Taylor of Arkansas, we can relax this Friday with a cool glass of straightforward Medicare fraud. For allegedly making $100 million in claims to CMS for tests that were not ordered or ever performed, he is our Catch of the...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, COVID-19, Healthcare Fraud, Laboratory and IDTF, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medical Billing Fraud, Medicare, Provider Fraud,

Three States Impose Profit Limits on Nursing Homes

Posted 10/29/21

New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts have just sent a clear message to nursing home operators: patient care must be prioritized over profits. Each state is introducing rules requiring nursing homes to spend a specific portion of their total revenue on direct patient care. In New York, it will be at least 70%, in Massachusetts at least 75%, and in New Jersey at least 90%. The three states are also limiting...

Tagged in: COVID-19, Healthcare Fraud, Provider Fraud, SNF,

Catch of the Week: Florida Man Charged with Stealing Over $12 Million in Funds Slated for PPE

Posted 08/27/21

person handcuffed with hands on stack of papers with briefcase

DOJ continues to make good on its promise to root out fraud in pandemic relief. This week, a Florida resident Brian Sperber was indicted for defrauding hospitals and medical institutions out of more than $12 million dollars by falsely promising to deliver personal protective equipment to those purchasers. Sperber and his co-conspirators, who ran medical supply and logistics companies, took orders for N95 masks and...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, COVID-19, Criminal Proceedings,

August 26, 2021

The owner of jet charter company All in Jets dba JetReady, Seth Bernstein, has agreed to pay $287,055 to resolve allegations that he misappropriated company Paycheck Protection Program loan proceeds for his personal use. Whistleblower Victoria Hablitzel, a former JetReady employee, reported defendant’s conduct by filing a qui tam action, and will receive a relator’s share of $57,411. DOJ; USAO SD FL

Tagged in: COVID-19, FCA Federal, Government Loan Programs, Whistleblower Case, Whistleblower Rewards,

Catch of the Week: Telemedicine Company Owner Charged in $784 Million Kickback Scheme

Posted 08/20/21

Doctor on computer with patient discussing medicine

Underscoring the fraud risks associated with the government’s continued expansion and loosening of restrictions on telehealth, the U.S. Department of Justice recently announced that a grand jury in New Jersey has returned a superseding indictment against the Florida owner of multiple telemedicine companies, referred to by DOJ prosecutors as the Video Doctor Network, for allegedly participating in a massive Medicare...

Tagged in: Catch of the Week, COVID-19, FCA Federal, Government Programs Fraud, Healthcare Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, Lack of Medical Necessity, Medical Devices and DME, Medicare, Money Laundering, Whistleblower Rewards,

Partner Mary Inman Speaks about Research Fraud with Science Whistleblower Dr. Elisabeth Bik at the HCCA’s Research Compliance Conference

Posted 07/23/21

On June 16, 2021, Constantine Cannon partner Mary Inman spoke at the Health Care Compliance Association’s (HCCA) Research Compliance Conference on the topic of ‘The Vital Role of Whistleblower Scientists in Exposing Fraudulent Research During the Pandemic.’ Mary was joined by co-panelist Dr. Elisabeth Bik, the Founder and Editor of the Science Integrity Digest, a blog about scientific integrity aimed at...

Tagged in: COVID-19, Grant and Research Fraud, Importance of Whistleblowers, Other Government Health Programs, Whistleblower Evidence,

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