RELATED UPDATES:
New Revelations in Ukraine Lead to Tightening Global Sanctions (April 8, 2022)
Western Companies Starting to Feel Impact of Russian Sanctions (March 24, 2022)
FinCEN Encourages “Increased Vigilance” and Highlights Red Flags for Evasion of Russian Sanctions including Use of Virtual Currency (March 16, 2022)
DOJ Launches “Task Force KleptoCapture” in Response to
EARN IT Act Opens Online Service Providers to Liability for Online Child Sexual Abuse Hosted on Their Platforms
On Thursday, February 10, 2022, the Senate Judiciary Committee approved the Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies Act (EARN IT Act), first introduced in 2020 by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-SC, and Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. The EARN IT Act aims to tackle the online proliferation of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) by paring back
Analysis of DOJ’s 2021 FCA Statistics and the Trends Therein
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ or Department) announced that it recovered over $5.6 billion under the False Claims Act (FCA) in Fiscal Year 2021.[1] That is a massive headline haul that is second only to the roughly $6 billion recovered under the FCA in FY 2014, when there were $3.1 billion
Analysis of DOJ’s 2021 False Claims Act Statistics and Related Trends
Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it recovered more than $5.6 billion under the False Claims Act in fiscal year 2021 — an enormous total, second only to 2014 recoveries.
Read the latest post on “Subject to Inquiry” for analysis of the reported 2021 statistics, how they compare to previous years’
Seventh Circuit Clarifies Pleading Standard for Anesthesiologist’s False Claims Action
The Seventh Circuit recently reversed a lower court’s ruling that an amended complaint in a qui tam lawsuit filed under the False Claims Act (FCA) alleging fraudulent anesthesiology billing practices failed to meet the pleading standard under Rule 9(b) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure. In U.S. ex. rel. Mamalakis vs. Anesthetix Management LLC,
Fed: Let’s Talk Central Bank Digital Currencies
In late January 2022, the Federal Reserve released “Money and Payments: The U.S. Dollar in the Age of Digital Transformation,” its much-anticipated discussion paper on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs). In the paper, the Federal Reserve provides a framework and summary of its initial analysis on the potential adoption of a U.S. CBDC
Will 2022 Be The Year? OIG’s 25 Top Recommendations to Reduce Healthcare Fraud
Every year the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) releases an annual Solutions to Reduce Fraud, Waste, and Abuse in HHS Programs: OIG’s Top Unimplemented Recommendations. HHS released its most recent in Nov. 2021, outlining OIG’s top 25 unimplemented recommendations that, in OIG’s view, would most positively
Court Allows Superseding Indictment Twelve Days Before Trial, Failing to Find Prosecutorial Vindictiveness
In U.S. v. Georges, 2021 WL 3887183 (S.D. Oh. Aug. 30, 2021), a federal court recently dismissed a defendant’s motion to dismiss a superseding indictment, denying her claim of prosecutorial vindictiveness related to multiple alleged violations of the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute. The defendant, Nicole Georges, was a pharmaceutical representative who coordinated speaking arrangements with physicians
SEC Focus on Private Fund Advisers Continues With the Publication of Exams Risk Alert
On January 27, 2022, the Division of Examinations (“EXAMS”) of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) published a Risk Alert with its Observations from Examinations of Private Fund Advisers. This Risk Alert is one of a series of signals of the SEC’s focus on private fund advisers under Chairman Gensler, including Form PF amendments
FinCEN’s Proposed Foreign Affiliate SAR Sharing Program — Key Considerations
On January 25, 2022, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (“FinCEN”) solicited commentary regarding its proposed rule that would create a time-limited pilot program to expand the ability of financial institutions to share Suspicious Activity Reports (“SARs”) and SAR-related information. (See 31 U.S.C. § 5318(g)(8)). The proposed program would permit a financial institution with a SAR