False Claims Act Update & Alert
Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund | Washington, D.C. | WWW.TAF.ORG
January 13, 2009.
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Chevron to Pay $45 Million
Chevron has said it will pay $45.5 million to settle a False Claims Act case charging the company with underpaying royalties for natural gas pumped from wells on federal and Indian land. The lawsuit was originally filed in 1996 by Harrold Wright, who is now deceased. Mr. Wright's $12.3 million relator's share will go to his heirs. >> To read more
First IRS Whistleblower Payment
The law offices of Kenney & McCafferty report the first major IRS Whistleblower Office payment of $5.5 million to one of their clients for his work in reporting a major tax fraud seven years ago. This is a partial payment; even more money is to be recovered ahead! >> To read more
Physicians to Pay $9.5 Million
The Visiting Physicians Association has agreed to pay $9.5 million to settle charges it violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicare, TRICARE and the Michigan Medicaid program. This settlement covers four qui tam lawsuits, and the relators will split $1.7 million. >> To read more
St. John to Pay $13 Million
St. John Health System of Oklahoma has agreed to pay more than $13 million to settle charges it submitted claims tainted by the hospital’s financial relationships with 23 referring physicians. >> To read more.
Lamborghinis and Yachts
What do fraudsters do with all the money they steal from Medicare and Medicaid? One clue is given in a recent indictment in which the U.S. Government alleges fraudsters in one scam submitted over $55 million in false claims for infusion therapy, injection therapy, and other expensive medical treatments. With their ill-gotten gains, the fraudsters purchased numerous luxury and exotic cars, including a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Lamborghini Murcielago, a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, 2 Bentley Continental GTs, 2 Mercedes Benz CL63s, and at least 6 Mercedes Benz S550s. One defendant in this same scam also spent more than $500,000 on jewelry, and more than $1million on horses over a two-year period.
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