Blog

Fraud and corruption are too common in business and government. Rare is the person who will stand up against the powers-that-be when they engage in illegal activities, but one whistleblower program may be a victim of its own success. What happened? Whistleblower cashes in A big payout is causing big problems for the Commodity Futures...

Healthcare fraud costs an already overburdened medical system far too much. Whistleblowers, though, can play an important role in reducing wasteful spending and other consequences of illegal acts. A recent case demonstrates how. False claims Thanks to a whistleblower, Acting U.S. Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell’s office recently announced that the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary...

Unfortunately, the worst of times can bring out the worst in people. For more than a year, COVID-19 has been front-and-center in the consciousness of the public – including scammers who would take advantage of government programs and people’s fears. Fortunately, the Department of Justice is cracking down on fraud. Unfortunately, they may mistakenly target...

The original False Claims Act was signed into law during the American Civil War, and it continued to identify military contractors guilty of mismanagement and fraud after the war. Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is considered the "godfather" of the False Claim Act in its current form, as he was the architect behind amendments enacted to...

A qui tam case is a type of lawsuit brought under the False Claims Act (FCA). The person or entity who brings a qui tam lawsuit is called a “relator.” Relators are sometimes called “whistleblowers.”  In a qui tam procedure, the relator initiates the action on behalf of the government and himself. If a relator successfully brings a...

Public corporations must comply with a wide range of rules and regulations. This is especially true when dealing with the issuing or sale of securities to raise capital for a business. In most cases, federal securities laws under the jurisdiction of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) apply. However, each state also has its own...

Allegations of healthcare fraud can be very serious legal matters. When a doctor or other healthcare provider is accused of fraud, the ramifications can be severe. Depending on the type of allegation, a healthcare professional could potentially lose their professional license, face other sanctions restricting their ability to operate their business, or even face criminal...

In general terms, illegal insider trading refers to buying or selling a security, in breach of a fiduciary duty or other relationship of trust and confidence, on the basis of material, nonpublic information about the security. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has brought insider trading cases against: Corporate officers, directors, and employees who...

There are generally two types of Medicaid fraud: fraud committed by healthcare service providers and fraud committed by recipients. The attorneys at Brewer, Pritchard & Buckley, P.C. represent healthcare service providers and medical professionals who have been accused of Medicaid fraud and are facing disciplinary action from a state or federal agency. Some examples of...

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is weighing a challenge to California's Proposition 63 that created the state's problem-plagued ammunition background-check program. In April, U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez said the state's program has been used to "systematically prohibit or deter an untold number of law-abiding California citizen-residents from undergoing the required background...