Feb. 6, 2019

$3.6 Million Settlement Resolves Procurement Fraud Investigation Against Colorado and Maryland Construction Companies Involved With SBA's Minority Disadvantaged Business Development Program

VMJ Construction, LLC ("VMJ") and its owner, Colorado resident Michael T. Vigil, as well as Maryland-based Vigil Contracting, Inc. ("Vigil Contracting") and its Operations Manager, John J. Vigil, have agreed to pay the United States $3.6 million to resolve allegations that they defrauded the Small Business Administration ("SBA") 8(a) Business Development Program.

Feb. 5, 2019

Former Army colonel, wife sentenced to prison for roles in Fort Gordon fraud, kickback scheme

A former active-duty U.S. Army colonel and his wife have been sentenced to federal prison and fined more than $200,000 for their roles in steering government contracts to co-conspirators in return for cash.

Jan. 29, 2019

Newark-Based Company and CEO Agree to Pay $2.75 Million to Resolve Allegations of Government Contracting Fraud

David C. Weiss, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that E.M. Photonics, Inc. ("EMP") and its Chief Executive Officer, Eric Kelmelis, have agreed to pay $2.75 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by seeking disbursements from federal agencies for falsified labor cost and duplicative work in order to maximize charges to contracts awarded by federal agencies.

Jan. 29, 2019

Mississippi Couple Charged With Receiving $1.7 Million in Health Care Kickback Scheme

U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser announced that a Mississippi couple, KIMBERLY HOMRIGHAUSEN, age 42, and RICHARD HOMRIGHAUSEN, age 35, were charged on January 22, 2019, with conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks related to compounded medications paid for by TRICARE, a federally funded health care benefit program that serves United States military personnel and their families.

Jan. 28, 2019

Chinese Telecommunications Conglomerate Huawei and Huawei CFO Wanzhou Meng Charged With Financial Fraud

A 13-count indictment was unsealed earlier today in federal court in Brooklyn, New York, charging four defendants,including Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. (Huawei), the world's largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer, with headquarters in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and operations around the world. The indicted defendants include Huawei and two Huawei affiliates -Huawei Device USA Inc. (Huawei USA) and Skycom Tech Co. Ltd. (Skycom) -as well as Huawei's Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Wanzhou Meng (Meng).

Jan. 28, 2019

Orlando Skilled Nursing Facility, Physician, And Related Providers Agree To Pay $1.5 Million To Resolve Allegations Of Illegal Kickback And Patient Referral Scheme

United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that on January 9, 2019, Conway Lakes NC, LLC; its former Administrator, Matthew File; its management company, Clear Choice Health Care, LLC; Clear Choice's part-owner and President, Jeffrey Cleveland; Clear Choice's part-owner and Senior Vice President, Geoffrey Fraser; and an Orlando-area orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Kenneth Krumins, agreed to pay $1.5 million to resolve allegations that they engaged in a kickback scheme related to the referral of Medicare and TRICARE patients.

Jan. 28, 2019

East Coast Stepping Stones, Inc., A Jacksonville-Based Provider For Children With Autism, Pays The United States $360,000 To Settle Allegations Of Fraud

United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announced today that East Coast Stepping Stones, Inc. ("ECSS") has paid the United States $360,000 to resolve a False Claims Act allegation that it submitted false claims to the TRI CARE program for therapy services for children with autism. ECSS is a Jacksonville-based provider of intensive behavioral treatment to children with autism, known as Applied Behavioral Analysis ("ABA") therapy. TRICARE is the federal health insurance program for active and retiredmilitary members and their families.

Jan. 25, 2019

Orange County Electronics Distributor Pleads Guilty to Selling Counterfeit Integrated Circuits with Military and Commercial Uses

The owner of PRB Logics Corporation, an Orange County-based seller of electronic components, recently pleaded guilty to federal charges of selling counterfeit integrated circuits, some of which could have been used in military applications.

Jan. 22, 2019

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Announces $269.2 Million Recovery From Walgreens In Two Civil Healthcare Fraud Settlements

The first settlement, approved on January 16, 2019, by U.S. District Judge Paul A. Crotty and unsealed today, requires WALGREENS to pay $209.2 million to resolve allegations that it improperly billed Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal healthcare programs for hundreds of thousands of insulin pens it knowingly dispensed to program beneficiaries who did not need them. The second settlement, approved on January 15, 2019, by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken and unsealed today, requires WALGREENS to pay $60 million to resolve allegations that it overbilled Medicaid by failing to disclose to and charge Medicaid the lower drug prices that WALGREENS offered the public through a discount program. In both settlements, WALGREENS admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct the Government alleged in its complaints under the False Claims Act.

Jan. 18, 2019

Kansas Man Charged In Government Contract Fraud Scheme

Troy L. Bechtel, 49, of Overland Park, Kan., is charged in a federal indictment with two counts of major program fraud against the United States and two counts of lying to federal investigators, U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said.