Jun 5, 2024 | Government Investigations, Health Care, Health Care Fraud
Although the COVID-19 pandemic is behind us, the regulatory and legal fallout from the pandemic is far from over. Since the COVID public health emergency (PHE) expired in May 2023, various federal agencies, including HHS-OIG and the DOJ, have been investigating...
Jun 5, 2024 | False Claims Act, Government Investigations, Health Care Fraud, White Collar Crime
The Anti-Kickback Statute (“AKS”) has long been one of the federal government’s most powerful tools when it comes to healthcare fraud and abuse. Not only is the AKS a felony statute, imposing a sentence of up to ten years in prison per violation, but a violation of...
May 24, 2024 | Government Investigations, White Collar Crime
On May 20, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced Kent Ellsworth, an Arizona resident, has pleaded guilty to two counts of aiding in the preparation of false tax returns. The charges stem from his alleged involvement in facilitating an “abusive-trust tax shelter”...
May 8, 2024 | Criminal Matters, Government Investigations, Health Care, Health Care Fraud, White Collar Crime
On May 2nd, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that an opioid manufacturer was ordered to pay $1.086 billion in criminal fines and an additional $450 million in criminal forfeiture for violations of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. This marks the...
May 8, 2024 | Government Investigations
On May 2nd, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced a lengthy sentence in a case involving the unlawful distribution of opioids. Thomas Romano, a 74-year-old resident of Wheeling, West Virginia, owned and operated a pain management clinic in Martin’s Ferry, Ohio....
May 8, 2024 | Government Investigations
Whistleblower regulations are evolving, and at the core of this evolution are programs designed to incentivize individuals to alert authorities when inappropriate actions have taken place. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has taken another step to incentivize...
