Whistleblower News from the Inside — July 7, 2015

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

AstraZeneca and Cephalon agree to pay $46.5M and $7.5M, respectively, to settle whistleblower False Claims Act charges — The whistleblower and government allege the pharmaceutical companies knowingly underpaid rebates owed under the Medicaid Drug Rebate Program.  DOJ

NJ Governor Chris Christie Administration whistleblower tells DOJ Bridgegate prosecutor may be compromised — Former prosecutor Bennett Barlyn sent a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch expressing concern that “apparent conflicts between Governor Christie’s administration and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey … may be compromising the latter’s independent role relating to the enforcement of federal criminal law.”  International Business Times

LB&B Assoc. to pay $7.8M to settle whistleblower False Claims Act charges — The whistleblower and government allege the company made false statements to improperly obtain contracts through the Small Business Administration’s program for small disadvantaged businesses.  DOJ

6 tips to avoid becoming a victim of ‘food fraud’ — “This kind of fraud can cause allergic reactions, food poisoning and other illnesses — resulting occasionally in deaths.”  MoneyTalkNews

CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou shares his story — “Now out of prison, Kiriakou is trying to return to a normal life.”  Washingtonian

FTC stops massive payday loan fraud scheme — “The operators of a payday lending scheme that allegedly bilked millions of dollars from consumers by trapping them into loans they never authorized will be banned from the consumer lending business under settlements with the Federal Trade Commission.”  FTC