June 27, 2013
SEC Fraud
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced charges were being filed against one investment adviser and settled with another for both their roles in a scheme to misappropriate funds. Jorge Gomez, who formerly operated in Dallas and Mexico, is now facing charges for allegedly funneling millions of dollars from […]
June 26, 2013
False Claims Act Legal News
After a long four-year legal battle against his former employer, a whistleblower has finally received justice. Bob Whitmore, a former Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) employee, alleged he was terminated from his position within the government agency after publicly criticizing its response to companies who under report workplace injuries. […]
June 25, 2013
Mortgage Fraud
The Department of Justice (DOJ) previously announced a settlement reached with a Michigan-based mortgage lender in a False Claims Act case. ABN Amro Mortgage Group Inc., a subsidiary of LaSalle Bank Midwest, agreed to pay the government $41 million to resolve allegations that it falsified over 28,000 federally insured mortgages. […]
June 24, 2013
Mortgage Fraud
The Home Affordable Modification Program (“HAMP”) is a federal program enacted to help eligible applicants with loan modifications on home mortgage debt. It was developed as a result of the subprime mortgage crisis, which began to devastate the financial market in 2008. HAMP is a foreclosure prevention program, providing loan […]
June 21, 2013
Mortgage Fraud
After being charged with fraudulent mortgage origination activities, a Georgia-based home builder and mortgage lender have agreed to settle a False Claims Act lawsuit. Beazer Homes USA Inc. and Beazer Mortgage Corporation have agreed to pay the government $5 million, plus contingent payments of up to $48 million. Headquartered in Atlanta, […]
June 18, 2013
SEC Fraud
After assuring citizens they would soon see additional whistleblower rewards from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), officials were proud to announce the issuance of a substantial Dodd-Frank whistleblower award. This second-ever Dodd-Frank whistleblower award results from a district court ruling that ordered Locust Offshore Management and its CEO, Andrey […]
June 17, 2013
False Claims Act Legal News
During the last decade, alarming numbers of offshore oil and gas facilities have been found in violation of industry or federal laws, putting worker safety and the environment at risk. Currently, there are no whistleblower anti-retaliation provisions protecting offshore oil and gas facilities workers. As a result, vast numbers of […]
June 14, 2013
SEC Fraud
Setting an important precedent for all SEC whistleblowers, a district court recently issued a ruling concerning the anti-retaliation provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform & Consumer Protection Act. Last month, the court ruled that whistleblowers need not report incidents of fraud directly to the United States Securities and Exchange […]
June 13, 2013
SEC Fraud
Once again, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) whistleblower program has proven to be a vital tool in the fight against securities fraud. After receiving a critical whistleblower tip concerning securities fraud within a Maryland-based proxy adviser firm, the SEC was able to quickly move forward with administrative proceedings. A […]
June 12, 2013
SEC Fraud
Two of three defendants have opted to settle in a securities fraud action that allegedly defrauded investors of approximately $2.7 million. In 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) charged a father, son and daughter team with the orchestration of a wide-reaching securities fraud scheme centered on a bogus $11 […]
June 11, 2013
Healthcare Fraud
The United States government recently joined a qui tam action filed against the New York City Department of Education (DOE). According to the allegations, the city’s DOE fraudulently billed Medicaid for multiple sessions of psychological counseling that were never provided to students. The DOE can submit monthly counseling claims for special needs students who […]
June 10, 2013
SEC Fraud
Both the government and whistleblowers alike have historically relied on the False Claims Act as a primary tool to end to fraud. It is important to understand, however, that the False Claims Act does have limitations. The largest one being that it only applies to instances in which the United […]