Iron Mountain Corporation and Shred-It USA, two of the largest document shredding companies in the nation, have agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle allegations that they knowingly failed to meet the requirements of their federal contracts. According to the allegations, Iron Mountain Corporation, Shred-It USA, and non-settling co-defendant Cintas Corporation insufficiently shredded sensitive government…
Judge Denies Sprint’s Motion to Dismiss in New York FCA Tax Case
Last Thursday the path was cleared for a tax-fraud trial against Sprint-Nextel Corp. when a New York Supreme Court judge denied the telecom giant’s motion for summary judgment in a state False Claims Act case. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman alleges that Sprint knowingly failed to pay roughly 25 percent of sales taxes owed…
SEC Makes Second Award Under Dodd-Frank Whistleblower Program
The SEC announced on Wednesday that three whistleblowers, whose identities remain anonymous, will receive an award under the Dodd-Frank whistleblower program for providing information that allowed the agency to successfully bring a case against Locust Offshore Management LLC and its chief executive, Andrey C. Hicks. The agency filed an enforcement action based on the whistleblowers’…
SAIC to Pay $11.75 Million for Inflated Contract Prices
Science Applications International Corp. (“SAIC”) has agreed to pay $11.75 million to settle allegations that the company charged the government inflated prices for conducting homeland security training for first responders in New Mexico. According to the allegations, SAIC told the government that the trainings would be conducted by full time employees with benefits, but instead…
SEC: “Significant Whistleblower Awards” Coming in Next Couple of Months
At a recent conference held by the Corporate Crime Reporter, Stephen Cohen, the Associate Director of the SEC’s Division of Enforcement, said that it was “undeniable” that the SEC whistleblower program had turbocharged the SEC’s enforcement efforts. Cohen predicted that in the next couple of months, there would be “some extremely significant whistleblower awards” coming…
Baxter Healthcare Receives FDA Warning Letter
Drug manufacturer Baxter Healthcare received a warning letter from the FDA as a result of cGMP violations at two of its facilities and the company’s failure to submit Field Alert Reports to the FDA. According to the letter, one of Baxter’s facilities had significant environmental monitoring issues, including “clumps” of mold in purportedly sterile manufacturing…
Felony Plea and $33.5 Million Payment by ISTA Pharmaceuticals
ISTA Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has pled guilty to two felony counts: conspiracy to introduce a misbranded drug into interstate commerce, and conspiracy to pay illegal remuneration in violation of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. In a federal court proceeding in the Western District of New York, the drug company admitted that it conspired to misbrand its anti-inflammatory…
Big Bust Nets 89 Medicare-Fraud Arrests in 8 Cities
Federal officials conducted a series of coordinated arrests on Tuesday, charging 89 people, including 14 doctors and nurses, for their alleged roles in separate Medicare fraud schemes. The alleged misconduct is said to have cost taxpayers roughly $223 million altogether. Read the entire article, “Nearly 100 arrested for Medicare scams”
Ranbaxy to Pay $500 Million for cGMP Violations
Generic drug manufacturer Ranbaxy USA Inc. has agreed to pay $500 million to settle criminal and civil allegations that the company manufactured and distributed adulterated drugs. The company pleaded guilty to three felony counts of introducing adulterated drugs into interstate commerce and four felony counts of making false statements to the FDA. The drugs were…
Adventist Settles Purchased-Referrals Allegations for $14.1 Million
Adventist Health System, which operates hospitals in four states, has agreed to pay $14.1 million to settle allegations that it offered improper benefits to physicians who referred patients to its hospitals. Those benefits, the government alleges, included selling doctors discounted medical supplies and paying above-market compensation for physicians teaching in the company’s family practice residency…