qui tam

And Yet Another Whistleblower-Originated Customs Fraud Case -- Ceratizit Pays $54.4M in Largest-Ever False Claims Act Settlement

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Thursday (December 18), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that North Carolina-based Ceratizit USA agreed to pay $54.4 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay duties it owed Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on the products it imported from China.[1]  It is just the latest in a string of customs fraud settlements...

Dana-Farber Pays $15M to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of NIH Grant Fraud

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Tuesday (December 16), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Boston-based Dana-Farber Cancer Institute agreed to pay $15 million to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently securing and using National Institutes of Health (NIH) research grants.[1]  It is just the latest in a series of False Claims Act enforcement actions against...

Constantine Cannon Partner Gordon Schnell Quoted in Bloomberg and Law360 On Zafirov Appeal of False Claims Act Constitutionality

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Friday, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held argument on the Constitutionality of the whistleblower (or qui tam) provisions of the False Claims Act.  These are the provisions of the Civil War era statute that authorizes private parties to bring lawsuits on behalf of the Government against those that defraud the Government.  Over the past few decades, the...

Mindpath Pays $1.9M To Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Healthcare Fraud

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last week (December 2), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that North Carolina’s largest behavioral practice Mindpath Care Centers -- along with its former officers Jeff Williams, Abigail Sheriff, and Sarah Williams -- paid $1.9 million to settle allegations they violated the False Claims Act by fraudulently billing Medicare for Psychotherapy and medication...

Swiss Automation is the Latest to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Cybersecurity Fraud

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Friday (December 5), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Illinois-based Swiss Automation Inc. agreed to pay roughly $420,000 to settle allegations it violated the False Claims Act by failing to provide proper cybersecurity protections for its machine parts drawings for Department of Defense (DOD) prime contractors.[1]  The settlement is just the latest...

DOJ Settles Flurry of False Claims Act Cases Following Government Reopening -- But Where Are the Whistleblowers?

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team The Department of Justice (DOJ) wasted no time in getting back to business in fraud enforcement following the end of the longest Government Shutdown in history.  In the two weeks following the Grand Reopening on November 12, DOJ settled close to 20 False Claims Act cases involving a wide array of defendants.

What Has DOJ's Recent Burst of False Claims Act Settlements...

Horizon Healthcare Pays Record $100M to Settle NJ False Claims Act Charges Brought By Whistleblowers

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team Last Friday (November 14), New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin announced that Horizon Healthcare Services (known as Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey) agreed to pay $100 million to settle charges of violating the New Jersey False Claims Act.¹  The settlement centers around allegations that Horizon systematically overcharged the State on its contract...

Mail Order Pharmacy Owner Settles False Claims Act Allegations of Kickbacks and Fraudulent Billing

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On September 26, Acting U.S. Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced that California resident Andrew Do agreed to settle allegations that he violated the False Claims Act through illegal kickbacks and fraudulent billing practices at his three mail order pharmacies.

Do’s Pharmacies

From January 2016 through December 2020, Do owned and operated three mail...

New Jersey Company Settles False Claims Act Allegations Over Ineligible COVID-19 Era PPP Loans

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team A New Jersey construction supply company, Ulma Form Works, Inc. (Ulma), agreed to pay nearly $2.9 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by applying for and receiving a COVID-19 era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan for which it was not eligible.¹

Ulma Did Not Meet PPP Loan Eligibility Requirements

Ulma, a Fair Lawn, New Jersey-based...

And Yet Another Whistleblower-Originated False Claims Act Cybersecurity Fraud Settlement

By the Constantine Cannon Whistleblower Team On Tuesday (September 30), the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that Georgia Tech Research Corporation has agreed to pay $875,000 to settle charges of violating the False Claims Act by failing to comply with the cybersecurity requirements of certain Department of Defense (DoD) contracts.¹  It is just the latest in a string of recent False Claims Act settlements...