COMMENTARY For years, the Securities and Exchange Commission had a whistleblower program in place that accepted information about securities violations in exchange for the possibility of a financial award if funds were recovered. Nonetheless, over the 20 years that program existed, only six whistleblower claims were ever paid. The reason appears clear. The program was… Read more »
Copyright 2011 American Health Lawyers Association, Washington, DC. Reprint permission granted. Related Information: Why Is Qui Tam Litigation Often So Difficult to Resolve?
IRS Informant Reward Program – Overview In 2006, the Congress enacted a new whistleblower law that enables private individuals to report: (1) underpayments of tax; and (2) persons otherwise guilty of violating the internal revenue laws. The passage of the IRS Whistleblower Law was significant because the False Claims Act does not apply to claims… Read more »
Articles In This Issue: 1. Defining Disabilities: What DoesThe Future Hold For Employers? 2. Proposed SEC Rules Undermine Dodd-Frank’s Whistleblower Incentives 3. Why An Understanding Of Copyright Law Is Vital For Architects Related Information: Firm Newsletter, Spring 2011
Record Setting Whistleblower Recoveries in FY 2010 Fiscal Year 2010 was a record-setting year for recoveries under the False Claims Act (FCA). The United States Department of Justice announced in November 2010 that it had secured $3 billion in civil settlements and judgments in cases involving fraud against the United States in FY 2010. This… Read more »
For the third consecutive year, the Internal Revenue Service has failed to pay any informants under its newly minted whistleblower program. The old program, which was first codified in 1867, was generally considered a disappointment. In 2006, Congress passed the Tax Relief and Health Care Act, which created the IRS Whistleblower office and made rewards… Read more »
For years, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) had a whistleblower program in place that would accept information about securities violations in exchange for the possibility of a financial reward if funds were recovered. Nonetheless, over the years only five whistleblower claims were ever paid. The reason appears clear. The program was administered entirely at… Read more »
On September 15, 2010, Antonio Ochoa was convicted by a federal jury in the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Florida of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes. Mr. Ochoa was a home health patient recruiter for home health agencies, including… Read more »
Although the SEC has been accepting whistleblower claims for nearly one year since the passage of the Dodd-Frank Financial reform laws, the SEC has taken two big steps recently to enhance the whistleblower program. In May, the SEC approved comprehensive regulations that, in many respects, were favorable to whistleblower claims. Those regulations go into effect… Read more »