Tennessee False Claims Act Attorney Discusses Government Contractor Fraud

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As Tennessee False Claims Act attorneys that represent individuals who want to blow the whistle on fraud, we wanted to advise that the Justice Department has filed a Complaint against Kellogg Brown & Root Services, Inc. and created companies for submitting false claims in connection with KBR’s contract with the Army to provide logistical support in Iraq. KBR is an engineering, construction and services firm located in Houston, Texas. KBR allegedly made claims to the government, knowingly false, under a contract with the Army to provide wartime logistical support under the Logistics Civil Augmentation Program III (LOGCAP III). The award of LOGCAP III allegedly paved the way for the company to become a critical source for logistical support in Iraq including transportation, maintenance, food, shelter and facilities management. A complaint filed in Rock Island, IllinoisFederal Court in 2003 and 2004 alleged that KBR employees took kickbacks from Kuwaiti companies in connection with the award and oversight of subcontracts awarded to those companies. KBR then allegedly claimed reimbursement from the government for costs it incurred under the subcontracts that were allegedly inflated, excessive or for goods and services that were grossly deficient or never provided.

In merely one example, KBR allegedly awarded a subcontract to supply fuel tankers to a Kuwaiti company for more than three times the tanker’s value. As another example, KBR allegedly continued to make monthly lease payments to First Kuwaiti for trucks KBR had already returned to the subcontractor, and then billed the government for the costs of both of these subcontracts. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rock Island has convicted ten companies and individuals in connection with wartime contracts in Iraq. This includes certain persons pleading guilty for taking kickbacks in return for awarding First Kuwaiti subcontracts. The original whistleblower, Bud Conyers, included in his complaint some of the allegations that were settled by way of the government’s current announcement.

If you have confidential information about a fraud against the government in Tennessee, Kentucky, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas or another state, please contact us as soon as possible for a free case evaluation.

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We help whistleblowers on a contingency basis, meaning there is no fee charged for our work unless there is a recovery. We also front any and all expenses. No matter where you are located — we will represent you. We will come to you, you will not have to come to us. Attorneys in our firm and attorneys that we work with on Whistleblower, Qui Tam, False Claims Act cases have represented a host of persons making claims, for violations of federal tax law, Medicare law and more. For more information, please contact our team of whitsleblower and qui tam attorneys today, or visit our False Claims Act Litigation Source.

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or fill out this form below for a free initial consultation.

Our offices will review potential false claims act cases in all fifty states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama.

February 3, 2014

Tennessee False Claims Act Attorney Reports on Tennessee Settlement

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We are attorneys that investigate False Claims Act cases nationwide, including in the states of Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and elsewhere for Medicare fraud, tax fraud, contractor fraud and more against a range of employers including healthcare providers, medical device companies, defense contractors, and pharmaceutical companies. We stand ready to provide a free case evaluation to you; please call us today.

Two Tennessee and Virginia orthopedic clinics have agreed to pay a combined $1.85 million dollars to settle allegations of billing Medicare Fraud for reimported products in violation of Federal law and the Tennessee False Claims Act. The osteoarthritis known as viscosupplements were purchased by Tennessee Orthopedic Clinics, P.C., headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and Appalachian Orthopedic Clinics, P.C., headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee. As noted by Assistant Attorney General for the Justice Department Stewart F. Delery, “the Department of Justice will not tolerate the conduct of companies that impermissibly shift risks on to patients in order to increase their own profits.”

The viscosupplements, including synvisc and orthovisc are injections approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of osteoarthritis pain in the knee. The government contended in a False Claims Act case filed that the clinics knowingly purchased deeply discounted viscosupplements that were reimported from foreign countries and billed viscosupplements to State and Federal healthcare companies in order to profit from the reimbursement system, when such reimported viscosupplements were not reimbursable by those programs. Allegedly, the reimported products included labeling in foreign languages and in English for additional uses not approved in the United States, which demonstrated that the products were reimported.

Furthermore, because the product was reimported the government alleged there was no manufacturer assurance that it had not been tampered with or that it was stored appropriately. The allegations resolved by the settlement were first raised in a lawsuit filed against the two healthcare clinics under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Douglas Estey, a physician’s assistant who was occasionally paid by Gensym Corp. to speak to medical providers about the use of synvisc. Estey, who was not employed by either clinic, will receive $320,750.00. One of the areas in which our firm tries to help persons stop fraud against the government is for fraudulent medical billing by healthcare companies, including medical providers such as the ones that settled this case with the government.

The False Claims Act prohibits companies from knowingly making false claims against the government at the expense of taxpayers. In this case, the two healthcare clinics knowingly sold products that were not eligible for reimbursement and profited at the expense of honest taxpayers across the country. Our firm applauds the whistleblower for coming forward and speaking out against fraud, and stands ready to discuss any fraudulent conduct that you are aware of as it relates to businesses in the country

FOR HELP, PLEASE CONTACT US.

CALL 1-800-632-1404

or fill out this form below for a free initial consultation.

Our offices will review potential false claims act cases in all fifty states, including Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Kentucky and Alabama.

July 19, 2011

Whistleblower Lawyer Reports Michigan Qui Tam Lawsuit

As a Memphis, Tennessee qui tam and whistleblower attorney, I read a recent story from the state of Michigan about a qui tam whistle-blower lawsuit.

A Michigan court ruled in favor of a former nursing home respiratory manager who claimed was fired for cooperating with a state investigation involving resident deaths at the facility. The plaintiff, Elizabeth Williamson, was awarded $705,000 by a Wayne County Circuit Court, which deliberated for only 90 minutes, according to the Detroit Free Press. Williamson helped Michigan Department of Community Health officials who were investigating several serious incidents at Omni Continuing Care, which is operated by Ciena Healthcare Management, in Detroit.

You can read more of the story by clicking HERE.

As a whistleblower attorney, we are interested in speaking with persons willing to make known the truth about company practices and are willing to file a qui tam or whistleblower action. One area in particular we are interested in discussing are lawsuits involving medical device companies where the company is alleged to have overcharged, engaged in kickback programs, and the like.

Workers and persons all across the country witness actions at their work that may be unlawful or even corrupt. Unfortunately, some employees and workers feel that they will be fired, terminated, harrassed or punished if they report an unlawful or corrupt action. These reporters, however, are protected by the law as a Whistleblower and can receive compensation because of the False Claims Act or the Medicaid False Claims Act. If you have reported actions that may be fraudulent, then you should talk to a Whistleblower or qui tam lawyer about your facts.

Whistleblowers help the government to get back billions of dollars each year with the help of the False Claims Act. In fact, fraudulent Medicaid claims are also caught by whistleblowers having the Medicaid False Claims Act on their side. If you report a false claim or fraudulent action to the government, then the government will give you, the whistleblower, a part of the money that gets recovered. This is because of qui tam requirements. Qui Tam means that a person files a lawsuit for the king and also for him or herself. These requirements and lawsuits were made popular during the Civil War when many people were getting away with fraudulent actions against the government. In 1986, the False Claims Act was amended to raise the total compensation given to people who reported fraudulent actions, or whistleblowers. If a whistleblower works with a lawyer then it may be possible for them to get three times the amount the government would get in damages and also get additional compensation for general fines.

For more information, please contact whitsleblower and qui tam attorney Ed Wallis at 1-800-632-1404 or send Mr. Wallis an email below for a free initial consultation.

May 29, 2011

Tennessee Whistleblower and Qui Tam Lawyer

As a Memphis, Tennessee qui tam and whistleblower attorney, I wanted to make you aware of a recent qui tam settlement as reported by Bloomberg News. This involved a Tennessee whistleblower providing information to stop the improper receipt of taxpayer dollars by corporate America.

Kidney dialysis provider Fresenius Medical Care AG has been ordered to pay $82.6 million to settle a whistleblower lawsuit accusing the company of overcharging Medicare. The lawsuit claimed Fresenius and two of its subsidiaries overbilled Medicare between 1999 and 2005 for home support dialysis supplies. The allegations were pled in a federal court lawsuit in Nashville, Tennessee. There has yet to be a statement issued by the company.

Tennessee workers and workers all across the country witness actions at their work that may be unlawful or even corrupt. Unfortunately, some employees and workers feel that they will be fired, terminated, harrassed or punished if they report an unlawful or corrupt action. These reporters, however, are protected by the law as a Whistleblower and can receive compensation because of the False Claims Act or the Medicaid False Claims Act. If you have reported actions that may be fraudulent, then you should talk to a Tennessee whistleblower or qui tam lawyer about your facts.

In Tennessee and all across the country, whistleblowers help the government to get back billions of dollars each year with the help of the False Claims Act. In Tennessee, fraudulent Medicaid claims are also caught by whistleblowers having the Medicaid False Claims Act on their side. If you report a false claim or fraudulent action to the government, then the government will give you, the whistleblower, a part of the money that gets recovered. This is because of qui tam requirements. Qui Tam means that a person files a lawsuit for the king and also for him or herself. These requirements and lawsuits were made popular during the Civil War when many people were getting away with fraudulent actions against the government. In 1986, the False Claims Act was amended to raise the total compensation given to people who reported fraudulent actions, or whistleblowers. If a whistleblower works with a lawyer then it may be possible for them to get three times the amount the government would get in damages and also get additional compensation for general fines.

For more information, please contact Tennessee whitsleblower and qui tam attorney Ed Wallis at 1-800-632-1404 or send Mr. Wallis an email below for a free initial consultation.

May 25, 2011

Memphis, Tennessee Qui Tam Whistleblower Attorney

As a Memphis, Tennessee qui tam and whistleblower attorney, I wanted to make you aware of a recent qui tam settlement as reported by the LA Times.

Medical lab services provider Quest Diagnostics Inc. has agreed to a $241 million settlement in a whistle-blower lawsuit filed against the company over fraudulent Medi-Cal charges. The settlement was the largest in the state’s history under the California False Claims Act. On top of the fraudulent charges, the lawsuit also alleges Quest “paid illegal kickbacks to doctors, hospitals and clinics that sent patients their way.” Worth noting, Vice President and General Counsel for the company proclaimed “We paid [the $241 million] to get this behind us.”

Quest was actually already under a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the federal government from April 2009, which can be read by clicking HERE.

For more information, please contact Tennessee whitsleblower and qui tam attorney Ed Wallis at 1-800-632-1404 or send Mr. Wallis an email below for a free initial consultation.