Sep 16, 2024 | Open Records Act
Georgia has a longstanding principle of transparency and sunshine into government operations and public records. When the General Assembly amended the Open Records Act in 2012, the legislature emphasized the “the strong public policy of this state is in favor of open...
Sep 15, 2024 | DOJ, False Claims Act, Fraud Investigations, Health Care, Medicare and Medicaid
Late last week, the Department of Justice announced that Walgreen had agreed to pay over $106 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by billing government health care programs for prescriptions that were never dispensed. According to the...
Sep 11, 2024 | Government Investigations, Health Care Fraud
On September 6, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal jury convicted four pharmacy owners—Raef Hamaed of Maricopa County, Arizona; Kindy Ghussin of Greene County, Ohio; Ali Abdelrazzaq of Macomb County, Michigan; and Tarek Fakhuri of Windsor,...
Sep 11, 2024 | Government Investigations, Health Care Fraud
On September 6, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal jury convicted four pharmacy owners—Raef Hamaed of Maricopa County, Arizona; Kindy Ghussin of Greene County, Ohio; Ali Abdelrazzaq of Macomb County, Michigan; and Tarek Fakhuri of Windsor,...
Sep 11, 2024 | Special Use Permit Filing
According to a report by Axios, a hair braiding business owner in South Fulton, Georgia, has filed a lawsuit against the city after being denied a Special Use Permit to open her shop. This legal dispute highlights the tension between local government regulations and...
Sep 9, 2024 | False Claims Act, Health Care, Health Care Fraud, Medicare and Medicaid
Late last month, the DOJ announced that St. Peter’s Health agreed to pay $10.8M to settle False Claims Act allegations. The settlement resolves claims that the organization submitted inaccurate information to federal healthcare programs, including Medicare and...
Sep 3, 2024 | False Claims Act
The COVID-19 pandemic was declared to have ended in May 2023 but prosecution of fraud stemming from the global crisis remains active. The DOJ announced that Roy L. Layne, of Arizona, has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and filing a false claim related to COVID-19 relief....
Aug 30, 2024 | Health Care
On August 27, 2024, the Department of Justice announced that John W. Kosolcharoen, founder and CEO of a California-based company, pleaded guilty to a felony violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Kosolcharoen’s plea relates to the distribution of...
Aug 30, 2024 | federal investigations
On August 29, 2024, the Department of Justice announced Roy L. Layne, an Arizona resident, pleaded guilty to charges of wire fraud and filing a false refund claim with the IRS. Layne’s plea is connected to allegations that he submitted false applications for COVID-19...
Aug 28, 2024 | False Claims Act
On August 26, 2024, the United States Department of Justice announced that the City of Los Angeles agreed to pay $38.2 million to resolve allegations that it knowingly failed to meet federal accessibility requirements when it sought and used HUD grant funds for...
