In confirmation hearings this week, the Trump administration's nominee for attorney general, Jeff Sessions, vowed this week that he would use his position as America's "top cop" to continue to fight fraud against taxpayers. "[T]his government must improve its ability to protect the United States Treasury from waste, fraud, and abuse," Sessions told the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. "We cannot afford to lose a single dollar to corruption and you can be sure that if I am confirmed, I will … [Read more...]
Whistleblowers Stop Nursing Home Fraud and Patient Harm – With help from the False Claims Act
Healthcare fraud puts patients’ lives at risk and costs billions of dollars every year. Nursing homes, which house vulnerable patients away from loved ones and the outside world, are especially fertile breeding grounds for healthcare fraud schemes. While government agencies have stepped up their enforcement efforts, nursing home workers who witness fraud are in the best position to put it to a stop—and thanks to federal and state whistleblower laws like the False Claims Act, a single principled … [Read more...]
The Dangers of Social Media for Whistleblowers
Being a whistleblower can be a lonely pursuit. You uncover wrongdoing by your employer. You report what you found to your supervisor. He tells you to ignore it and go back to doing your job. But you can’t. You’ve discovered that your employer has defrauded the U.S. government out of millions of dollars. You know that ignoring it isn’t the right thing to do. You’re just not sure what your next step should be. You talk to your spouse. You ask your best friend for advice. They support you but … [Read more...]
Feds Move Beyond Confidentiality Agreements to Target Companies That Try to Undercut Whistleblower Laws with Monetary Recovery Waivers
A defense contractor accused of using restrictive severance agreements that would “chill” whistleblowers has agreed to settle the accusations and pay $265,000 in penalties, the Securities and Exchange Commission announced. The announcement marks the latest victory in the federal government’s ongoing campaign to encourage and reward whistleblowers, including employees who uncover fraud, waste and abuse in their workplaces. It’s also a sign that federal regulators’ crackdown on companies that use … [Read more...]
National Whistleblower Protection Day Marks 238 Years of Supporting Those Who Expose Government Misconduct
July 30 was “Whistleblower Appreciation Day” in the United States Senate. This is the fourth consecutive year that the Senate has passed a resolution recognizing the date and expressing support for whistleblowers—courageous government and private-sector workers and contractors who risk their livelihoods and reputations to expose corruption, graft and misconduct within their organizations. This date is no accident. The American tradition of supporting whistleblowers dates back 238 years to July … [Read more...]