We were caught off guard this morning by a Wall Street Journal report revealing that several federal agencies had not filled Inspector General (IG) vacancies. Some agencies, like the State Department, have not had an inspector general since 2008! There are 78 inspector generals in the United States. Or at least there should be. Many […]
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 […]
Fake Drugs Represent New Whistleblower Opportunity
Fake and gray market pharmaceuticals represent a growing problem in the United States. Medical providers pressed by mounting costs sometimes resort to purchasing drugs manufactured in Turkey, India and other foreign countries. Unless produced in an FDA inspected facility, there is no way to insure those drugs are safe or even contain the prescribed amount […]
Nursing Homes – Next Wave Of Whistleblower Cases? (False Claims Act)
by Brian Mahany The front page headline of today’s Wall Street Journal says it all – “As America Ages, Shortage Of Help Hits Nursing Homes.” The fastest growing segment of America’s population are baby boomers and they are starting to hit their mid 60’s. As the demand for nursing home beds increases, the amount of […]
The Many Victims Of False Claims Act Cases
by Brian Mahany Anyone who reads this blog knows we are whistleblower lawyers – we represent people in false claims act cases (not the corporations committing the fraud). Our primary concern is making sure there is no retaliation against the whistleblower and insuring they collect the maximum cash awards allowed by law. Often whistleblowers face […]
Cell Phone Lifeline Program Great Whistleblower Opportunity
[Post updated January 2019] Today’s Wall Street Journal says it all. Millions of Americans illegally claimed eligibility to the Lifeline program. Now that the FCC has cracked down on the the eligibility guidelines and misspending, the question becomes who to blame. Is it solely the fault of greedy program participants who lied on applications or […]
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 […]
Are Veterans Seeking Interest Rate Reductions (VA “IRRRL” Loans) Being Targeted?
In the spring of 2012, we first wrote about a massive federal false claims action involving Wells Fargo, Washington Mutual, Chase Manhattan Mortgage, Citimortgage, General Motors Acceptance Corporation, Countrywide, Bank of America, US Bank, Fifth Third Bancorp plus a dozen smaller lenders. The government says they were improperly overcharging fees to America’s veterans seeking Interest […]
Net Branch Office 101 (How NOT To Get Sued For A Violation Of The False Claims Act)
by Brian Mahany For those not in the mortgage industry, a “net branch” is a branch office of a mortgage company. The branch usually keeps all the income from loans originated within the branch, less the lender’s administrative or overhead fees. Many mortgage industry professionals like them because it allows folks to quickly open a […]
Obama Win Good For Whistleblowers
by Brian Mahany This blog tries hard to stay away from politics. Whether you are a Republican, Democrat or disenfranchised doesn’t matter to us. The Democrats hold over the Senate and re-election of Barack Obama is a win for whistleblowers in financial fraud cases. It’s no secret that the Wall Street elite and banking world […]