Whistleblower News From The Inside — July 22, 2016

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

$1 billion dollar bust in Medicare fraud and money laundering scheme —  Three people are charged with operating a huge Medicare and Medicaid fraud scheme in which the owner of a network of over 30 skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities and two co-conspirators are charged with admitting beneficiaries who have no medical need for services, paying kickbacks to referring doctors, and billing Medicare and Medicaid of medically unnecessary services.   DOJ

Sentencing in first Bitcoin securities fraud case – Authorities say Texas man Tredon Shavers carried out a “classic Ponzi scheme” after offering potential investors high interest rates to turn over bitcoins, and that he used $220,000 in bitcoins and money from investors to cover his rent, car payments, groceries and other family expenses.  WSJ

House Oversight Committee looks to further whistleblower protection for contractors — Members of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) and Chairman Jason Chafetz (R-Utah), unveiled legislation to expand whistleblower protections for subgrantees and personal services contractors.   Federal News Radio

Conviction in case related to e-biofuel biodiesel fraud —  “Wilson’s conviction represents the end of the line for a group of fraudsters in Indiana, New Jersey and Oregon who bent and twisted programs designed to increase America’s energy independence to line their own pockets.”  DOJ

IMF’s Lagarde to face trial in France over corruption case — Christine Lagarde is to face trial for negligence in a botched arbitration that led the French state to make a €400m payout to businessman Bernard Tapie under her watch as France’s finance minister.  Financial Times

Death Fraud?  — A new book details the surprising cottage industry devoted to helping people disappear or fake their own deaths.   Bloomberg