Judge overturns nursing home whistleblower's $347 million trial win

A federal judge has overturned a $347.9 million judgment against nursing facility operators affiliated with Consulate Health Care in a lawsuit accusing them of submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment to Medicare and Medicaid. read more »

US Company Settles Whistleblower Lawsuit, Pays for Importer’s Customs Fraud

Prosecution a Warning to US Companies That Source Goods From Abroad

Federal prosecutors in New York recently announced the settlement of a remarkable lawsuit relating to a scheme to evade import duties. The case involved an importer’s undervaluation of apparel to pay less duties than were really owed.

Justice Department secures $23.9 million from dental management company

The U.S. Department of Justice announced Jan. 10 that Benevis LLC, a dental management company, and more than 130 of its affiliated Kool Smiles dental clinics will pay $23.9 million after allegations of submitting false claims to state Medicaid programs for child dental services that were not medically needed.

“Billing Medicaid programs for dental procedures that are not necessary contributes to the soaring costs of healthcare,” said acting assistant attorney general Chad A. Readler of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.  “When health care providers put vulnerable patients at risk by performing medically unnecessary procedures to achieve financial goals, we will take action.”  read more »

BP pays $102 million settlement for overcharging California

BP Energy Co. is paying California $102 million to settle claims that it overcharged the state for natural gas between 2003 and 2012, officials announced Thursday.

The company regularly violated contracts to provide gas for numerous state agencies and other governments by exceeding the agreed-upon price cap, then concealed the overcharges by providing false and misleading information, state Attorney General Xavier Becerra said.

"At one point, BP employees described the transactions with the state of California, when they were overcharging us, as undertakings with the state that, 'Was allowing them to squeeze gold out of that goose,'" Becerra said. "Well, California just squeezed back — 102 million times we squeezed back." read more »