[Post updated through 2021] Employment Specialists of Maine, known locally as ESM, is a private community rehabilitation provider in Maine. It provides services for many Maine residents struggling with intellectual disabilities. The company relies heavily on funding from the federal Medicaid program as well as state tax dollars. Earlier this year ESM settled charges that […]
"Corruption Part Of County Business" – Whistleblower Post
The front page headline in this morning’s Atlanta Journal Constitution says it all – Grand Jury: Corruption Part of County Business. Some would say we are becoming immune to government corruption but thankfully most people are still outraged. A special grand jury in suburban Atlanta conducted a year long investigation and found corruption at all […]
Anatomy of a False Claims Act Lawsuit
Recently we wrote about the record false claims act (whistleblower) award paid to pharmacist T. Mark Jones an his company Ven-A-Care. The sheer size of the awards – $597,000,000.00 is itself newsworthy and an inspiration to whistleblowers everywhere. Every time we write about a false claims act case, we get questions from readers. In this […]
Pharmacists Hit Whistleblower Lottery – Collects $597 Million!
The average Joe buys the occasional Powerball ticket hoping to win a few million bucks. T. Mark Jones, a pharmacist from Key West, decided to roll up his sleeves and become a whistleblower. His investigation of Big Pharma’s overbilling schemes saved taxpayers $3 billion dollars and earned $597,000,000.00 in whistleblower award money. Some say “crime […]
"No Prescription Equals False Claims"
“No prescription equals false claims,” that was part of warning issued by PharMerica’s own auditor after finding that many of the company’s were sending out drugs without a written prescription. Last Friday’s false claims act suit filed by the Justice Department in Milwaukee comes as no surprise. New details show the pharmacy giant was warned […]
PharMerica Whistleblower Suits – (Some Companies Just Don’t Learn)
[Updated through 2020] We originally wrote this post in August 2013. That is when the federal government filed suit against PharMerica Corp, a major long-term care pharmacy. The lawsuit was originally begun in 2009 by a former PharMerica employee turned whistleblower. Eleven years and 31.5 million later, the company still hasn’t learned its lesson. That […]
Feds Charge 89 With Medicare Fraud – Whistleblowers Rejoice
Earlier this month, federal officials arrested 89 people in Miami, Detroit, Tampa, Houston, New York and Los Angeles and charged them with health care fraud. The action was a coordinated effort involving the FBI, Postal Inspectors, IRS, Department of Health and Human Services and local officials. Historically, many of these cases come to light because of […]
More News On Phone Subsidy Mess – Whistleblower Opportunity
by Brian Mahany Just one week ago we posted an article about the developing controversy with the federal cellphone Lifeline program. A report first published in the Wall Street Journal said that as many as 41% of the 6 million participants in the program may not meet federal eligibility guidelines. This number was based on […]
Detroit Corruption An Opportunity For Whistleblowers
by Brian Mahany Last week I was in Detroit for business. As I drove by the U.S. courthouse, I remarked at the half dozen news vans parked outside the building. The taxi driver reminded me of the on-going criminal corruption trial of former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. Detroit residents know all about corruption. Unfortunately, Detroit […]
For Profit Colleges – Next Big Opportunity For Whistleblowers (False Claims Act)
by Brian Mahany The feature article in this month’s Milwaukee magazine was intriguing. There are up to 40 for profit colleges (sometimes called proprietary schools) in the Milwaukee area and many of them have abysmal track records. High costs and little prospect of a paying job at the end of 2 or 4 years of […]