Hydroponic production has become increasingly popular in American agriculture. Historically, fruits and vegetables had been grown exclusively on traditional soil-based farms. Hydroponics, by contrast, are typically grown in...more
Medical Technology Company President Convicted for Participation in $77 Million COVID-19 and Allergy Testing Scheme -
On September 1, 2022, the president of Arrayit Corporation, a medical technology company in Silicon...more
9/9/2022
/ Bribery ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Investors ,
Kickbacks ,
Medical Technology Companies ,
Medicare ,
Prison ,
Puerto Rico ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Wire Fraud
DC Circuit Adopts Pro Tanto Approach to False Claims Act Settlement Offsets -
In an opinion issued on August 30, 2022, the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit held in United States v. Honeywell International, Inc., ---...more
Financial Asset Managers Charged in $1.2 Billion International Money Laundering Scheme -
On July 12, 2022, two financial asset managers from Switzerland and Argentina were charged in the Southern District of Florida in an...more
Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, Former Theranos President and COO, Found Guilty on All Twelve Fraud Counts in High-Profile Trial -
On July 7, 2022, a federal jury in the Northern District of California found Ramesh “Sunny”...more
7/11/2022
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Corruption ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Cybersecurity ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
En Banc Review ,
Enforcement ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement ,
Theranos ,
Unconstitutional Condition ,
Wire Fraud
US Supreme Court Requests Solicitor General’s Views in FCA Rule 9(b) Context -
On May 16, 2022, the US Supreme Court requested a brief from the US Solicitor General on the level particularly required by Federal Rule of...more
5/20/2022
/ Appeals ,
Bid Rigging ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Rules of Civil Procedure ,
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Medicare ,
Medicare Fraud ,
SCOTUS ,
Solicitor General ,
US Army Corps of Engineers ,
Whistleblowers
DOJ and SEC Bring Charges Against Executive in Alleged $62 Million Global Crypto Investment Fraud Scheme -
On May 6, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal district court in the Southern District of...more
Four Indicted for $16 Million Money Laundering Scheme -
On March 23, 2022, an indictment was unsealed in the Western District of Arkansas, charging four men for their involvement in wire fraud and money laundering schemes...more
3/28/2022
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Indictments ,
Investment Fraud ,
Money Laundering ,
SBA ,
UPS ,
USPS ,
Visa Fraud ,
Wire Fraud
DOJ and Treasury Announce Multilateral Russian Oligarch Task Force Called “REPO” -
On March 16, 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland and Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen met with representatives from Australia,...more
On March 7, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), operating under its New Animal Drug Authority, took a new, important regulatory step forward in assessing genome editing in animals. Specifically, the Agency...more
With nearly 150 similar class action lawsuits pending nationwide, the ruling is a win for the ERISA plaintiff's bar, potentially supporting their expansive view of plan fiduciaries' duty to monitor investments.
As...more
4th Circuit Affirms Dismissal of FCA Medicaid Suit Against Allergan -
On January 25, 2022, a majority of the Fourth Circuit panel affirmed the dismissal of a relator's False Claims Act complaint against Allergan Sales LLC,...more
1/31/2022
/ Allergan Inc ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Convictions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Mail Fraud ,
Medicaid ,
Pharmacist ,
Sentencing ,
TRICARE
Lab Owner Pleads Guilty to $6.9 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme Involving Kickbacks and Bribery -
On January 13, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a Florida man pled guilty in the Southern District of...more
1/24/2022
/ Bribery ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Defense (DOD) ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
FBI ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicare ,
Virus Testing
The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral argument to decide a circuit split and determine what ERISA requires of ERISA-governed pension plan fiduciaries with respect to investment fees and recordkeeping. A decision is expected in...more
Fraud Scheme Results in $56 Million Seized as Largest Recovery of Cryptocurrency by US -
On November 12, 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California’s request was...more
11/19/2021
/ Bank Fraud ,
Bribery ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
Fraud ,
Investors ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
Small Business ,
US State Departments ,
Visas ,
Wire Fraud
SEC Charges Cannabis Pill Company with $2 Million Securities Fraud -
On September 28, 2021, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) charged a California-based cannabis company C3 International, Inc. (“C3”) and its...more
On August 11, 2021, Sheng-Wen Cheng was sentenced to 72 months in prison for his alleged participation in multiple schemes related to Covid-19 pandemic loan fraud and securities fraud.
Taiwanese National, Self-Proclaimed...more
8/16/2021
/ Bank Fraud ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Convictions ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
FIRREA ,
Fraud ,
Insurance Fraud ,
Name and Likeness ,
NCAA ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
SBA ,
Sentencing ,
Settlement Agreements ,
Tax Fraud ,
Wire Fraud
On July 26, 2021, a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), introduced the False Claims Amendments Act of 2021, a bill that would amend the False Claims Act (FCA) in several ways.
Four key...more
On June 23, 2021, CVS Pharmacy Inc. was cleared of claims of overcharging drug purchasers by more than $121 million for general drugs. This verdict comes after a week-long trial in the Northern District of California...more
COVID-19 Task Force Established to Enhance Enforcement Efforts against Fraud -
On May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice and U.S. Attorney General announced the establishment of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force,...more
5/24/2021
/ Attorney General ,
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Falsified Documents ,
Fraud ,
Health Insurance ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Medicaid ,
OIG ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
Vaccinations ,
Wire Fraud
Where’s the Beef? Two Charged with $650 Million Cattle Ponzi Scheme -
On May 12, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a federal district court in Colorado unsealed an indictment alleging that two individuals ran...more
5/17/2021
/ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Consumer Financial Products ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Financial Markets ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Investment Fraud ,
Investment Funds ,
Mergers ,
Misrepresentation ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Public Comment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
State and Local Government ,
Stock Prices
Pharmaceutical Company Agrees to Pay $12.6 Million to Settle FCA Allegations Involving Kickbacks -
On Tuesday, the Department of Justice announced a $12.6 million settlement with Incyte Corporation, a Delaware...more
5/10/2021
/ Anti-Kickback Statute ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Frivolous Lawsuits ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Kickbacks ,
Medicaid ,
Medicare ,
Money Laundering ,
Settlement ,
Telemarketing ,
TRICARE
Government Contractor Pleads Guilty to Defrauding the Afghan Government of $100 Million -
The owner of Assist Consultants Incorporated (ACI), an Afghan company that has received over $250 million in US-funded contracts...more
5/3/2021
/ Afghanistan ,
Barbados ,
Bribery ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Federal Contractors ,
Intent to Defraud ,
Investment Adviser ,
IRS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Tax Evasion ,
USAID