Resources

United States Department of Justice
The Office of Inspector General (OIG)
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)
United States Department of Defense
Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Data on Federal Government Spending

United States Department of Justice
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) is the law enforcement arm of the federal government. Among other things, it is responsible for enforcing the law, defending the interests of the United States, and ensuring public safety.

The Fraud Section of the Commercial Litigation Branch of DOJ’s Civil Division is responsible for investigating and litigating cases of financial fraud against the federal government. When a whistleblower files a qui tam suit on behalf of the government, the DOJ’s Fraud Section is often responsible for investigating the whistleblower’s allegations. Fraud Section attorneys often work with United States Attorneys throughout the country in investigating these cases.

It is these attorneys that the whistleblower’s lawyer must convince in order to get the federal government to join in a qui tam lawsuit. When the federal government joins in a whistleblower suit, the chances of success for the government and the whistleblower are greatly increased.

If you have a fraud case that you would like us to consider, Contact Us.  For more information on the DOJ’s efforts in combating fraud, see:

 

The Office of Inspector General (OIG)
Most federal government agencies have an Office of Inspector General (OIG) that is responsible for investigating allegations of fraud, waste and abuse related to agency funds. Unfortunately, many of these offices are overwhelmed and cannot always detect and address fraud issues in a timely manner. Whistleblower lawsuits can provide useful information to help the OIGs identify and stop fraud.

Federal funds from certain agencies are particularly vulnerable to fraud by government contractors. Many of the cases filed by whistleblowers concern programs administered by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Department of Defense (DOD).

In fiscal year 2011, whistleblower lawsuits accounted for over $2.2 billion in healthcare fraud recoveries. For their efforts, these whistleblowers were awarded more than $470 million. In fiscal year 2011, whistleblower lawsuits helped the DOD recover over $157 million. As their reward, these whistleblowers were awarded over $8 million. For more detailed statistics on whistleblower lawsuits concerning healthcare fraud and defense fraud, see the DOJ Qui Tam Case Statistics: DOJ Qui Tam Case Statistics.

If you have a potential fraud case regarding funds from a federal agency that you would like us to consider, Contact Us. 

For a listing of the Inspectors General for each federal agency, their contact information and web link, visit the Council of Inspectors General.

United States Department of Health and Human Services
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is responsible for protecting the integrity of the various programs run by the Department, including Medicare and Medicaid. OIG is also responsible for safeguarding the health and welfare of the people who benefit from those programs. OIG carries out its duties through a variety of audits, investigations, evaluations and other oversight measures. It is responsible for reporting to the Secretary of HHS and to Congress any program or management problems within the system and for making recommendations about how to correct those problems.

As part of the effort to reduce fraud and abuse in federal health care programs, OIG and the Department of Justice (DOJ) use the False Claims Act and other laws to go after health care providers that submit false claims. Lawsuits brought by whistleblowers under the False Claims Act and information provided by them are often the trigger for fraud investigations by OIG and DOJ.

Besides imposing financial penalties on the health providers suspected of fraud, OIG has the power to exclude providers that violate the False Claims Act from participating in Medicare and other federal health care programs. If the interests of the program are better served by having the provider continue to participate, rather than being permanently excluded, OIG can require that the provider adopt specific measures to prevent fraud and protect the program’s integrity. These measures are set out in a corporate, institutional or individual integrity agreement, known as a “CIA.”

If you have a potential healthcare fraud case that you would like us to consider, Contact Us.  For more information on HHS and OIG’s fraud prevention efforts, see:

 

Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT)
In May 2009, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the creation of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT).  HEAT is made up of top level law enforcement and professional staff from the DOJ and HHS.  Among other things, HEAT’s goals are to: 

  • crack down on perpetrators who are defrauding the Medicare and Medicaid programs 
  • enforce criminal and civil anti-fraud laws and  
  • recover taxpayer dollars lost to fraud.

Many of HEAT’s enforcement efforts result from information gained from whistleblowers.  If you have a potential healthcare fraud case that you would like us to consider, Contact Us.

For more information on the federal government’s efforts to tackle fraud in federal healthcare programs, see:

 

United States Department of Defense
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) for the Department of Defense (DOD) serves both service members and taxpayers. Its main goals include: (1) improving the efficiency of the Department’s various programs and operations and (2) eliminating fraud, waste and abuse in programs and operations administered by the Department.

Among other things, OIG’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) investigates allegations of economic fraud against the Department, including contract fraud, procurement fraud, defective pricing and cost/labor mischarges.

If you have a defense-related fraud case that you would like us to consider, Contact Us.

Whistleblower lawsuits have been instrumental in helping the DOD combat fraud. In May 2010, for example, a whistleblower lawsuit against pharmaceutical company Novartis resulted in a $72 million settlement for alleged off-label marketing of the company’s cystic fibrosis drug, TOBI. According to a DCIS agent, the fraud directly impacted the healthcare of military personnel and their families throughout the world. For their efforts, the whistleblowers, who were former employees of Novartis’ predecessor, were awarded $7.825 million. See
“Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics to Pay More Than $72 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Concerning TOBI”

 

Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force
The Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force is an interagency government task force established by President Obama in November 2009.  Its goals are to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment of those who commit financial crimes, fight discrimination in the lending and financial markets and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.  Among other things, the Task Force focuses on activities such as mortgage scams, Ponzi schemes, securities fraud, predatory lending, tax fraud and credit card fraud.  The Task Force includes representatives from over 20 federal agencies, 94 United States Attorneys offices, as well as state and local law enforcement. 

If you have a potential financial fraud case that you would like us to consider, Contact Us.  For more information on the Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force, go to StopFraud.gov.

 

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
OSHA is an agency within the United States Department of Labor that is responsible for enforcing workplace safety.  OSHA also enforces the whistleblower provisions of about 20 federal laws.  Those provisions protect employees from retaliation for reporting violations of airline, commercial vehicle, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, healthcare reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, railroad, maritime and securities laws.  Persons who suffer retaliation for exercising their whistleblower rights can receive compensation, including job reinstatement, back pay and attorneys’ fees. 

If you have a fraud-related retaliation case that you would like us to consider, Contact Us. 

For more information on OSHA’s whistleblower program, see:

Data on Federal Government Spending
Under a law passed in 2006, the federal Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was required to create and maintain a searchable website containing information about each government spending award, including:

  • the name of the organization receiving the award;
  • the amount of the award;
  • information concerning the award, including the type of transaction, funding agency, etc.;
  • the location of the organization receiving the award; and
  • a unique identifier for the organization receiving the award.

The website, USAspending.gov, allows the public to review government spending, broken down, for example, by federal agency, recipient and location. 

 

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