Whistleblower News From The Inside -- November 2, 2015
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
Government Intervenes in Lawsuits Alleging That Skilled Nursing Chain SavaSeniorCare Provided Medically Unnecessary Therapy — The government has intervened in three False Claims Act lawsuits brought by whistleblowers alleging that Sava, one of the nation’s largest healthcare providers, operating approximately 200 skilled nursing facilities in 23 states, knowingly and routinely submitted false claims to Medicare for rehabilitation therapy services that were not medically reasonable and necessary. DOJ
Stericycle in $26.75 mln settlement for overcharging governments—The medical waste disposal company resolved False Claims Act claims brought on behalf of the federal government, 12 U.S. States, and Washington, DC, alleging that since 2003 Stericycle charged automated price increases without giving any notice to its governmental customers, in violation of state and federal laws. The automated increases ostensibly were for fuel and energy surcharges but did not reflect actual costs, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in 2008 by a former Stericycle employee. Corp Crime Reporter
Netcracker and Computer Sciences Corp. to Pay $12.75 million to Settle FCA Claims Arising from use on Individuals Without Proper Security Clearances on DoD Contracts — The lawsuit alleged that Netcracker, a subcontractor, used employees without security clearances to perform work when it knew the contract required those individuals to have security clearances, resulting in CSC, as prime contractor, recklessly submitting false claims for payment to the Defense Information Systems Agency. The case was brought by a whistleblower, John Kingsley, who worked at NetCracker, and who will receive $2,358,750 as his share of the recovery. DOJ
Exxon Mobil Accused of Misleading Public on Climate Change Risks — More than 40 of the nation’s leading environmental and social justice groups demanded a federal investigation of Exxon Mobil, accusing the huge oil and gas company of deceiving the American public about the risks of climate change to protect its profits, suggesting that Exxon Mobil might be guilty of the same kind of fraud that the tobacco companies were found to have perpetrated when they hid the risks of smoking. NYTimes
Green Beret war hero cleared of wrongdoing in whistleblower case – Lt. Col. Jason Amerine, whom the Army had banished from his Pentagon office for whistleblowing to Congress about what he considered a failed hostage rescue policy, has been cleared of wrongdoing and allowed to retire. His security clearance was restored, and he was honored with a Legion of Merit. Washington Times
HSBC whistleblower offers to cooperate with India – Facing charges in Switzerland for allegedly leaking details of HSBC account holders, whistleblower Herve Falciani has stated that he is willing to “cooperate” with Indian investigative agencies in their black money probe but would need “protection.” Indian Express
West African Man Charged In $12 Million Anti ‐Malaria Program Fraud Scheme – Malamine Ouedraogo, whose companies were awarded a $12 million contract to deliver insecticide-treated mosquito nets, has been indicted in the Southern District of New York, following an investigation by the USAID Office of Inspector General, which revealed that Ouedraogo knowingly delivered fraudulent nets, containing little or no insecticide, labeling and packaging the nets to resemble compliant nets. USAID