Feb 17, 2021 | COVID-19 Related Law, Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Medicare and Medicaid, White Collar Crime
On February 11, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced the first criminal charges for the misappropriation of funds designated for medical providers during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the press release, Ms. Amina Abbas owned a home health...
Feb 12, 2021 | False Claims Act, Government Investigations, Health Care
The Department of Justice recently announced that Athenahealth, Inc. (Athena), an electronic health record (“EHR”) vendor, has agreed to pay $18.25 million to settle claims that it violated the False Claims Act (“FCA”). Athena allegedly implemented various marketing...
Jan 11, 2021 | COVID-19 Related Law, Government Investigations, Health Care
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia issued a permanent injunction barring Matthew Ryncarz and his companies, Fusion Health and Vitality LLC (d/b/a Pharm Origins) and Fusion Ionz LLC (also d/b/a Pharm Origins), from selling unapproved drugs. ...
Dec 23, 2020 | Government Investigations
The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) filed a lawsuit on December 22, 2020 against retail giant Walmart, alleging the company played a significant role in fueling the country’s opioid epidemic. The lawsuit is the result of a years’-long investigation by the DOJ’s...
Nov 20, 2020 | False Claims Act, Fraud Investigations, Government Investigations, Medicare and Medicaid
The federal False Claims Act (FCA) imposes liability for treble damages and civil penalties on “any person who [among other things] … knowingly presents, or causes to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment” to the federal government or who...
Nov 20, 2020 | Government Investigations
On November 16, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a Special Fraud Alert (“Alert”) highlighting the fraud and abuse risks associated with speaker programs. The Alert confirms the government’s...
