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COVID-19

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

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COVID Fraud a Year on from the Onset of the Pandemic

Posted  02/19/21
coronavirus-map
The COVID-19 pandemic has raged across the world over the last year, causing widespread harm both to humanity and the economy. Even in these trying times, fraudsters have not let up and have found ways to exploit the pandemic for personal gain. As we move into the one-year anniversary of the pandemic starting with the United States we look back on the ways programs intended for relief have been exploited, and a few of...

COVID Frauds of the Week: The DOJ Drumbeat Goes On, with Help from an Investigative Journalist

Posted  02/5/21
N95 Masks
This past week, the drumbeat of government enforcement actions to address rampant fraud in COVID-19 contracts and small business loans continued, with a remarkable assist from an investigative journalist.

An Investigative Journalist Takes a Ride – and Discovers PPE Fraud

In Virginia, Robert S. Stewart, Jr., the founder, and president of an Arlington-based company, ironically named Federal Government Experts LLC,...

Eastern District of CA Announces First Civil Settlement Related to CARES Act Fraud

Posted  01/22/21
typing of word bankruptcy on typewriter
The Eastern District of California announced the very first civil settlement to resolve allegations of fraud against the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program. The agreement was entered into with SlideBelts, Inc., and its President, CFO and CEO, Brigham Taylor, for falsely certifying on its PPP applications to three financial institutions that they were not in bankruptcy when, in fact, they had been in the bankruptcy...

Constantine Cannon and AARP Foundation Represent Advocacy Groups on behalf of Nursing-Home Patients to Ensure Facility Accountability

Posted  01/22/21
nurse checking elderly woman
Constantine Cannon LLP proudly joins the AARP Foundation in representing the National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care and California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform in a lawsuit seeking to roll back a directive undercutting accountability for nursing homes that violate federal standards.  The federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 allows states to recommend to CMS that a non-compliant facility pay civil...

January 15, 2021

The Colonial Automotive Group, Inc., a chain of automobile dealerships, will pay $1 million to resolve allegations that they defrauded the Massachusetts state Department of Unemployment Assistance.  The dealership allegedly encouraged employees who were furloughed as a result of the state’s COVID-19 in-person business closures to sign up for unemployment benefits. and then requested those workers continue to perform dealership work, without pay, while they were collecting state benefits.  MA

2020 Whistleblower of the Year Candidate – Dr. Rick Bright

Posted  01/8/21
covid-virus
Scientists within federal agencies don’t normally have to put their jobs and reputation on the line in order to do what until recently we took for granted:  that the federal government would take action consistent with the best scientific methods and evidence when the country is faced with a grave and immediate public health threat.  But the last four years during the Trump administration have been anything but...

COVID Fraud: New York Pharmacy Owners Indicted on Charges Arising from their Abuse of Emergency Override Billing Codes

Posted  01/7/21
Flashing lights on top of police car
As we have previously written, regulatory changes designed to alleviate logistical and financial pressure on healthcare providers during the COVID-19 crisis, while necessary, can create opportunities for fraudsters.  Last month, an indictment in New York revealed a scheme by two pharmacy owners who took advantage of relaxed rules regarding prescription prior authorization and refill timing to overcharge Medicare and...

2020 Whistleblower of the Year Candidate – Rebekah Jones

Posted  12/28/20
We know her story all too well at this point.  Rebekah Jones is the geospatial scientist who designed and managed the COVID-19 tracking dashboard for Florida’s Department of Health.  This was the database reporting on the number of coronavirus cases and deaths in Florida.  It was a model for other states to follow, widely praised for its clarity and accessibility, and even championed by former White House...

State False Claims Acts: A Key Tool in the Fight against COVID Frauds

Posted  12/16/20
woman wearing a mask and pouring hand sanitizer on hand
We all remember the early days of the pandemic when coordination at the Federal level was lacking and states were left to their own devices. States reacted in a variety of ways to fight this public health catastrophe, they created subnational coalitions, struck their own deals for secret mask shipments from China, and conducted their own foreign policy to buy tests from South Korea. Things were chaotic and, and as...

COVID Frauds of the Week: PPP, Puppies, and Securities Fraud

Posted  12/11/20
golden retriever puppies sitting in a grass field
As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, the government has remained vigilant in rooting out fraudsters who seek to capitalize on the crisis to line their own pockets.  Over the past week, federal prosecutors have advanced cases against multiple individuals who fraudulently obtained government funds that were supposed to help struggling small businesses.  And in another colorful case, DOJ busted a...
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