British whistleblowers can make 'millions' under US laws if they 'shop' UK companies, American lawyers say

As someone who has just made legal history as an international whistleblower, Andrew Patrick perhaps rightly believes he has a message that British employers should heed.

“The better you treat your staff, the better they will treat you,” he said with a gentle Yorkshire accent. “Now, the US whistleblower laws are here empowering employees in Britain. They are certainly better laws than anything we have in the UK.”

This 55-year-old man from the spa town of Harrogate is the first Briton to be awarded a payout under US whistleblower laws for exposing how a British luxury mail order company flouted American customs laws. read more »

Whistleblowers Hope for an Ally at IRS

Tipsters have helped the Internal Revenue Service collect $3.6 billion since 2007. Whistleblower lawyers hope Charles Rettig, the potential next leader of the agency, will make it easier to bring in still more cash.

Mr. Rettig, a California tax lawyer, is President Donald Trump’ nominee for IRS commissioner. He has worked extensively with people caught up in issues resulting from the U.S. effort to root out cash stashed overseas, in addition to other criminal and civil matters.

The right person at the helm could help tackle issues such as the amount of time it takes for the agency to handle claims, improve communication with whistleblowers and make sure awards are paid, said users of the IRS Whistleblower Program. That could encourage more whistleblowers to come forward, saving money for taxpayers by helping the agency uncover additional fraud, they said. read more »

Consumers have filed thousands of complaints about the Equifax data breach. The government still hasn’t acted.

A new report reveals the CFPB has received more than 20,000 complaints about Equifax since the data breach. Mick Mulvaney hasn’t yet acted — and wants to make the complaints system private.

Since Equifax announced that a data breach had left the personal information of tens of millions of people exposed last September, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — the US government’s top consumer watchdog — has received more than 20,000 complaints about the company, which is about double the number it received in the six months before.

Equifax has said the CFPB is investigating, but thus far the agency hasn’t taken any action. Acting Director Mick Mulvaney is instead trying to make the bureau’s complaint portal private so the public won’t even be able to see what’s happening. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), however, would like to know what’s up.

Along with Sens. Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Warren released a new report on the Equifax data breach on Monday. The findings: In the six months after Equifax announced the breach on September 7, 2017, consumers have filed upward of 20,000 complaints regarding the company on the CFPB’s website related to the improper use of a credit report, incorrect information on a report, Equifax’s inadequate resolution to problems after the breach, and the identity theft solutions Equifax put out post-breach. read more »

Owner of Florida Pharmacy Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for $100 Million Compounding Pharmacy Fraud Scheme

The president and owner of a Florida pharmacy that was at the center of a massive compounding pharmacy fraud scheme, which impacted private insurance companies, Medicare and TRICARE, was sentenced today to 180 months in prison and ordered to pay $54 million in restitution for his role in the scheme.  Six other individuals have previously been sentenced in connection to the scheme, and another is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday, April 30.  Various real properties, cars and a 50-foot boat were forfeited as part of the sentencings. 

Acting Assistant Attorney General John P. Cronan of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez of the Middle District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge Eric W. Sporre of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Robert F. Lasky of the FBI’s Miami Field Office, Special Agent in Charge Shimon Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office and Special Agent in Charge John F. Khin of the U.S. Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s (DCIS) Southeast Field Office made the announcement.

Nicholas A. Borgesano Jr., 45, of New Port Richey, Florida, the president and owner of A to Z Pharmacy of New Port Richey, pleaded guilty on Nov. 6, 2017, in the Middle District of Florida to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to engage in monetary transactions involving criminally derived property.  His sentencing was before Senior U.S. District Judge James S. Moody Jr of the Middle District of Florida. read more »