Monthly Archives: November 2018
Judge Rules Report from Whistleblower on Psychiatric Care in Prison Can Be Made Public
A federal judge in Sacramento recently ruled against the state of California’s push to keep private a whistleblower report about psychiatric care in the state’s prisons. As a result, much of the 160-page document is now available for public review. Judge Kimberly J. Mueller issued the order Thursday, October 25, telling legal counsel they must […]
Newly Amended Regulations Expand Available Whistleblower Protections
Once enacted, the new Treasury Laws Amendment will extend protections afforded to whistleblowers in the financial, credit and corporate sectors. This legislation will apply to any reports made by whistleblowers on or after July 1, 2018. Under the current rules, a person only qualifies for whistleblower protection if he or she meets criteria such as: […]
Tips Whistleblowers Should Know for Their Own Protection
Blowing the whistle on corporate wrongdoing is a heroic act that takes a lot of guts. While today there are more protections against retaliation and termination afforded to whistleblowers than ever, it is still important for whistleblowers to know what they can do to protect themselves if they do decide to come forward with their […]
Do Disclosures to the SEC About Cybersecurity Qualify for Whistleblower Awards?
Since the establishment of the SEC’s Whistleblower Program in 2011, there have been some occasional questions as to the scope and limitations of the federal agency’s ability to grant awards to whistleblowers. For example, do disclosures to the SEC about cybersecurity qualify for whistleblower awards? A recent enforcement action taken against Voya Financial Advisors, Inc. […]
Reliant Rehabilitation Holdings Will Pay $6.1 Million to Settle Kickback Allegations
Reliant Rehabilitation Holds, Inc., a national rehabilitative care provider based in Plano, Texas, will pay $6.1 million to the federal government to settle claims it paid kickbacks to its skilled nursing facilities and doctors. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Reliant violated the False Claims Act by pairing up clients with nurse practitioners for […]
Amazon Launches Investigation into Reports of Employees Leaking Data for Bribes
Global online retailer Amazon has announced that it has started an investigation into reported internal leaks of private information by employees as part of bribes to take down fake reviews and other scams on its network. The initial report about the scheme came from the Wall Street Journal. According to that report, Amazon employees used […]
PwC to Pay $625 Million in Damages After Audit
U.S. District Judge Barbara Jacobs Rothstein ordered PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP to pay the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. more than $625 million for negligence in an audit of Colonial BancGroup, Inc., a bank holding company in Alabama that went under during the most recent economic downturn. The FDIC requested the damages, leading to the case overseen by […]
Florida Urogynecology Network Settles False Claims Act Case for $1.7 Million
FWC Urogynecology, a urogynecology network based in Florida, recently settled a False Claims Act lawsuit for $1.7 million. In the suit, FWC was alleged to have billed the government for services it did not provide or were otherwise inflated to get larger refunds. In the suit, FWC was alleged to have misused Medicare billing codes […]
SEC Fines Charles Schwab $2.8 Million for Failure to Report Suspicious Transactions
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently fined Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. $2.8 million for failing to report a series of suspicious transactions by independent investment advisors it stopped from using the company to handle client accounts. Under the Bank Secrecy Act, all broker-dealers are required to report any such suspicious transactions that […]
