False Claims Act Update & Alert
	Taxpayers Against Fraud Education Fund | Washington, D.C. | WWW.TAF.ORG           January 28, 2011
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		Subscribe to this FREE Newsletter Enter your Email Powered by FeedBlitz n TAF Home Page n Previous Newsletters n Email editor   Please take a moment to forward this FREE electronic newsletter to others that might be interested!	VA Pursues Pension Fund Fraud Virginia has joined a state False Claims Act case filed under the Virginia Fraud Against Taxpayers Act. The lawsuit, brought by a private whistleblower, seeks $150 million in damages from the Bank of New York Mellon, which has served as the master custodian of the Virginia Retirement System since 1988.  The lawsuit contends that since 2001 currency traders for the bank skimmed profits on currency transactions conducted on Virginia's behalf. >> To read more
			Counting Cases Under Seal In a joint letter to Senators Charles Grassley (R-IA) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT), DoJ Assistant Attorney General Ronald Weich and Assistant HHS Secretary Jim Esquea detailed the scope of False Claims Act cases under seal.  As of Jan. 4, 2011, there were 1,341 qui tam cases under investigation with no decision yet as to whether DoJ will intervene.  Of these cases, 885 involve healthcare fraud.  A total of 180 qui tam cases are under seal that allege pharmaceutical pricing and/or marketing violations.  An additional 80 cases involve hospital fraud.  >> To read more (PDF)
			New York Suits Up to Pursue Tax Fraud New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is creating a taxpayer-protection unit to target multi-state corporate tax fraud schemes under the recently-amended New York State False Claims Act.  The new unit will go after “millionaire tax cheats” that defraud the state of more than $350,000, and it will encourage whistleblowers to come forward.  “Today’s announcement is a signal to anyone thinking of ripping off New York taxpayers,” said Schneiderman.  We will go after you with every tool we have.” >> To read more
			What They're Saying: Noting that the Civil Division had recovered over $8 billion since 2009, and that in FY 2010 the Civil Division operated on a budget of less than $288 million, Assistant Attorney General Tony West put it succinctly:  "That is some  of the best money we spend as taxpayers."
			Rigsby Katrina Case Moves Forward Judge L.T. Senter Jr., of the U.S. District Court for Southern Mississippi, has refused to toss out a False Claims Act lawsuit filed by Cori and Kerri Rigsby which alleges that State Farm and its engineering firms passed off wind damage claims to the National Flood Insurance Program in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.  State Farm tried to get the suit dismissed because the Rigsby's and their former attorney leaked details of the case to media outlets, but in fact neither the Rigsby's nor their lawyer actually broke the seal. >> To read more
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