In the Battle Against Fraud, More and More Winners Emerge
An aggressive push by the Department of Justice in the past year to investigate and prosecute false claims brings good news for prosecutors and qui tam plaintiffs.The federal government, as well as state governments, are recovering record amounts from successful civil qui tam settlements and judgments, and those rewards are in turn being passed on to whistleblowers.In the past two and a half years alone, $7.3 billion has been recovered in False Claims Act cases, and the Congressional Budget Office estimates that federal recovery in civil fraud cases will average $3 to 4 billion annually over the next ten years.
The number of filed qui tam cases is also at a record high, with 1341 pending cases under government seal as of January of this year and another 39 new FCA cases filed during the first quarter of 2011.This demonstrates that the DOJ is taking an aggressive stance against fraud.In a testimony before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary in January of this year, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division Tony West stated that the DOJ “has never been more aggressive–or more successful–in the anti-fraud battle as it has in the last two years.”
Legislation that was introduced in May 2011 would give more funding to the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute False Claims Act cases.The federal (and state) governments are launching several campaigns to eliminate waste and cut down fraud in government departments and programs. Technology was recently developed to help eliminate Medicare fraud, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid have announced the implementation of this technology, which would analyze incoming Medicare claims to help detect fraud before payments are made.
The battle against fraud is at an all-time high and shows little signs of slowing down.
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Young Law Group is a nationwide leader in whistleblower representation and has successfully represented numerous clients in some of the nation’s largest qui tam cases for over a decade. For a free confidential consultation, please call Eric L. Young, Esquire at (800) 590-4116 or complete our online form.