Former Houston Housing Authority General Counsel Karen Miniex prevails as jury rejects city retaliation after she reported fraud HOUSTON, March 25, 2019 – Former Houston Housing Authority General Counsel Karen Miniex, who alleged she was fired after reporting fraud within the agency, has been vindicated by a federal-court jury, the Berg & Androphy law firm...
Do you know about fraud committed against the Federal or State government? It may be time to call a whistleblower attorney to represent you in court. This article will help you understand the basis for and method of filing a Qui Tam lawsuit or what is better known as a ”Whistleblower” lawsuit against a corporation...
History of the False Claims Act In 1863 Congress passed a law that created incentives for private individuals to report government fraud in an attempt to curb a rash of fraud against the government. On March 2, 1863 President Lincoln signed the law, called the False Claims Act (“FCA”). Also referred to as the “Informer’s...
Joel Androphy was recently a guest on the FCPA Compliance Report podcast. Highlights from the podcast episode include: 1. FCA cases are designed to help prevent fraud, waste and abuse in government contracting. 2. FCA cases can include illegal work conditions, in addition to monetary matters. 3. What are the procedural steps needed to bring...
The following report of health care fraud really stretches the boundaries of fraudulent behavior and the belief that the government can self-regulate it’s programs to detect such activity. As reported by Associate Press writer Shayha Mohajer on August 10, 2011, two pastors in the now-defunct Los Angeles church, Arms of Grace Christen Center, abused their...
Qui Tam is a federal statute that permits private individuals a monetary remedy for successfully bringing suits alleging frauds committed upon the federal government. Without qui tam actions, many reports of wrongdoing against the government would otherwise go unnoticed. The economic incentives provided by qui tam actions promote private enforcement of federal legislation. What does...
The public disclosure bar generally precludes qui tam relators from bringing actions based upon publicly disclosed information unless the relator is an original source of the information. Before the passage in 2010 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Affordable Care Act”), the False Claims Act (“FCA”) specifically prohibited private suits “based upon the...
There are a few common theories of liability the law follows when it comes to committing a false claim against the government. False claims found when a government contractor: [1] Presents a False Claim – knowingly presents or causes to be presented to the Government a fraudulent claim for payment or approval [2] Uses...
Trump Administration Invites Health Care Industry to Help Rewrite Ban on Kickbacks WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has labored zealously to cut federal regulations, but its latest move has still astonished some experts on health care: It has asked for recommendations to relax rules that prohibit kickbacks and other payments intended to influence care for...
Signed into law on March 23, 2010, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “Affordable Care Act”) narrowed the bar against bringing suits based on public disclosure by restricting the public disclosure bar to only information publicly disclosed at the Federal level – not at the State or Local level. The Affordable Care...
