Blog | Chilivis Cochran Larkins & Bever

DOJ Names Chief Prosecutor for Pandemic Relief Fund Fraud

Mar 10, 2022 | COVID-19 Related Law, Fraud Investigations, White Collar Crime

On March 10, the Department of Justice announced the appointment of a chief prosecutor to oversee enforcement efforts stemming from fraud against COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. Associate Deputy Attorney General Kevin Chambers has been named the Director for COVID-19...

OCR Director Encourages Enterprise-Wide Risk Analysis and Stronger Cyber Posture for Covered Entities and Business Associates

Mar 9, 2022 | HIPAA

On February 28, 2022, the Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights, Lisa Pino, published a blog post titled “Improving the Cybersecurity Posture of Healthcare in 2022.” Ms. Pino’s blog post was a call to action, encouraging...

Florida Tax Preparers Sentenced to Prison for Fraud Scheme

Mar 9, 2022 | Fraud Investigations

On March 4, 2022, the Department of Justice announced the sentencing of two Florida tax preparers. Nikency Alexis, the owner and operator of Unity Tax & Financial Services, a Broward County tax preparation business, was sentenced to 45 months in prison, and Thony...

Another Conviction: COVID-19 Relief Fund Enforcement Efforts Continues

Feb 28, 2022 | White Collar Crime

Since 2020, Chilivis Grubman attorneys have monitored and written about indictments, guilty verdicts, and prison sentences related to COVID-19 relief programs. In September 2020, CG attorneys wrote about then Attorney General Bill Barr’s instruction to the DOJ to...

Individual Government Officials Can Be Held Civilly Liable by Private Citizens for Violations of the Georgia Open Records Act

Feb 28, 2022 | Government Affairs

The Georgia Open Records Act (ORA) gives individuals and entities the right to obtain records from their state and local governments. The government officials receiving requests for records generally must provide the requested records within three days. Failure to...

Georgia Supreme Court Caps City Liability in Automobile Accidents Even if City Has Insurance Coverage Above the Cap

Feb 22, 2022 | General

Last week, the Georgia Supreme Court issued a decision ruling that the extent of a city’s liability for a motor vehicle collision was $700,000, the statutory limit of liability for a Georgia municipality when two or more people die or are injured in single incident,...

Three Men Sentenced to Prison for $2.7 Million COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme

Feb 22, 2022 | White Collar Crime

The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced the sentencing of three men in the Middle District of North Carolina for fraudulently seeking over $2.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs) guaranteed by the Small...

Health Care Fraud and Money Laundering Conviction Lands Man 12 Years in Prison and $48 Million in Restitution

Feb 22, 2022 | Health Care Fraud

On February 21, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Muhammad Ateeq of Rawalpindi, Pakistani was sentenced in the Northern District of Illinois for a health care fraud scheme and money laundering conspiracy. According to court documents, Ateeq worked in the...

Ten Indicted for Alleged Lab Kickback Scheme

Feb 16, 2022 | Government Investigations, White Collar Crime

On February 10, the Department of Justice announced the indictment of ten individuals in connection with an alleged $300 million healthcare fraud scheme. The defendants are alleged to have participated in a conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and pay and receive...

DOJ Provides 2021 Statistics on False Claims Act Enforcement

Feb 10, 2022 | False Claims Act

On February 1, the Department of Justice released the statistics for its False Claims Act enforcement efforts for Fiscal Year 2021. The headline for the announcement reads, “Justice Department’s False Claims Act Settlements and Judgments Exceed $5.6 Billion in Fiscal...