New State False Medicaid Claims Act (with Qui Tam Whistleblower Provisions) Is Approved by Georgia Legislative Subcommittee
Whistleblowerlawyerblog Author Testifies In Support of Georgia Department of Community Health’s “State False Medicaid Claims Act” This morning, a new state False Claims Act cleared a hurdle as it was approved by a Georgia legislative subcommittee. Georgia’s new “State False Medicaid Claims Act,” which has qui tam whistleblower provisions similar to the federal False Claims […]
News in Government Procurement Fraud and False Claims
We found a very interesting article from last week’s Legal Times, with an excerpt of interest to whistleblower lawyers as follows: “Last fall, the Justice Department launched a National Procurement Fraud Task Force to focus “resources at all levels of government to increase criminal enforcement” in areas of procurement fraud. The stepped-up attention to this […]
IRS Names New Head of IRS Criminal Investigative Division
The IRS agents we have been meeting with since January to pursue whistleblower claims under the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program have a new boss, the IRS announced today. The Criminal Investigative Division of the IRS will be led by Eileen Mayer, who was most recently head of the IRS’s Office of Fraud/Bank Secrecy Act. […]
New Medicaid False Claims Act Proposed in Georgia
We were encouraged to see that Georgia has just joined the states that are considering a State “False Claims Act” with whistleblower provisions. As we have discussed before on the Whistleblower Lawyer Blog, Congress has created great financial incentives for states that pass their own versions of the federal False Claims Act, with qui tam […]
Has Iraq Fraud Cost Taxpayers Even More Than Previously Believed?
Congressional Committee Explores Contractor Overcharges Of great interest to whistleblower lawyers is how much suspected fraud and abuse has occurred in Iraq reconstruction contracts. Goverment auditors recently announced that they now believe that Iraq contractor fraud and abuse may be three times greater than the previous estimates–and may affect one out of every six dollars […]
Comments–Whistleblower Lawyers, Other Attorneys, and Clients on the Whistleblower Lawyer Blog
Since we began the Whistleblower Lawyer Blog to discuss topics of interest to attorneys, potential whistleblowers and others about developments in the new IRS Whistleblower Rewards Program, in qui tam litigation under the False Claims Act, and other whistleblower developments that might be of interest to other lawyers or whistleblowers, we have received some very […]
New Whistleblower Protections Approved by House Committee
Recognizing how important whistleblowers are to stopping fraud, the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee today approved the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act (H.R. 985). The new whistleblower protections would apply to federal employees and government contractors. The law would establish whistleblower protections for scientific, intelligence and transportation security employees. It would also apparently mean […]
Medicare Fraud Indictments in Los Angeles
We find it staggering to read about how blatant Medicare fraud can be, which often provokes a whistleblower to step forward. Today’s L.A. Times reports on a shameless scheme to defraud Medicare: Elderly and mentally ill patients allegedly were offered doughnuts, candy and other gifts to lure them into more than $12 million worth of […]
State Whistleblower Act Is a Powerful Tool in Texas–But Could Produce Even More Medicaid Fraud Recoveries
Whistleblower suits that reveal Medicaid fraud in Texas have grabbed the attention of the Texas Legislature–which apparently recognizes how powerful state False Claims Acts can be. Today’s Houston Chronicle reports that Texas is working through a “backlog” of Medicaid fraud cases, the top 20 of which could bring another $700 million to the State (and […]
Watching the New IRS Whistleblower Procedures Take Shape
We are excited to see the new IRS Whistleblower Office’s procedures being developed. We obtained a copy of a recent letter from IRS Commissioner Mark W. Everson, describing how the new Whistleblower procedures are taking shape, to Senator Charles Grassley. Senator Grassley has been instrumental in pushing for effective whistleblower laws, both in qui tam […]