Whistleblower News From The Inside -- November 17, 2016
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
Houston man gets 30 years in prison for Medicare fraud – Texas ambulance company owner Chimaroke Echenwune was sentenced to thirty years imprisonment for attempting to steal $1.3M from Medicare and Medicaid by inflating the reported length of ambulance transports, billing for medically unnecessary transports, and billing for services not provided. Texas Attorney General
Former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral arrested on corruption charges – Former Rio de Janeiro governor Sérgio Cabral, credited with helping to bring the Summer Olympics to the city, was arrested on Thursday as part of an investigation into bribery and embezzlement in construction projects. New York Times
Two Florida pharmacies settle FCA suit for $750K – Florida pharmacies Lemon Bay Drugs and Brooksville Drugs settled allegations they billed federal healthcare programs for drugs they never dispensed. A former Lemon Bay pharmacy technician who brought the case will receive $142K for blowing the whistle. USAO Middle District of Florida
DOJ files FCA suit against tobacco farmers for crop insurance fraud – The federal government filed suit in a Georgia federal court alleging that between 2008 and 2010, several individuals devised and implemented a scheme through which they collected federal crop insurance funds to which they were not entitled. Legal News Line
Theranos whistleblower shook the company—and his family – The Wall Street Journal explores the motivations for, and personal impact of, Theranos whistleblower Tyler Shultz’s decision to internally blow the whistle on the company’s doctored research and failed quality-control checks. Wall Street Journal
Florida man sentenced to 15 months in prison for cheese fraud – Christian Rivas, owner of Miami, Florida-based company Oasis Brands, was sentenced to fifteen months in prison for introducing listeria-contaminated cheese into the market. An inspection of the Oasis plant proved it did not comply with the FDA’s current Good Manufacturing Practices (CGMP) as required by federal law. USAO Southern District of Florida