Qui Tam Lawsuits: Whistleblower Qui Tam Lawsuits Recovered a Record $3.3 Billion for The United States Government and Qui Tam Whistleblower by Qui Tam Whistleblower Recovery Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Fiscal Year 2012 Saw Record Qui Tam Recoveries by Qui Tam Whistleblower Recovery Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

In 2012, qui tam whistleblowers and the federal government made record qui tam recoveries from corporations and criminals that committed health care fraud and other forms of government contractor fraud.  As Medicare and Medicaid spending continues to increase and the government continues to more aggressively seeks ways to reduce government spending, record qui tam whistleblower recoveries are expected to continue to increase in the future.   For information on specific types of whistleblower recovery lawsuits and for confidential reviews of whistleblower recovery lawsuits,please feel free to contact whistleblower recovery lawyer, Jason S. Coomer, or go to the following web page on whistleblower recovery lawsuits.

United States Department of Justice: Justice Department Recovers Nearly $5 Billion in False Claims Act Cases in Fiscal Year 2012

The Justice Department secured $4.9 billion in settlements and judgments in civil cases involving fraud against the government in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2012, Tony West, Acting Associate Attorney General, and Stuart F. Delery, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Division, announced today.  This figure constitutes a record recovery for a single year, eclipsing the previous record by more than $1.7 billion, and brings total recoveries under the False Claims Act since January 2009 to $13.3 billion – which is the largest four-year total in the Justice Department’s history and more than a third of total recoveries since the act was amended 26 years ago in 1986.

Most false claims actions are filed under the act’s whistleblower, or qui tam, provisions, which allow private citizens to file suits alleging false claims on behalf of the government.   If the United States prevails in the action, the whistleblower, known as a relator, receives up to 30 percent of the recovery.   The department saw a record 647 qui tam suits filed last fiscal year and recovered a record $3.3 billion in suits filed by whistleblowers during the same period.

Whistleblower Reward Lawyer Confidentially Reviews Potential Qui Tam Reward Lawsuits

Whistleblower reward lawyer, Jason S. Coomer works with health care fraud whistleblowers, government contractor and procurement fraud whistleblowers, securities and investment fraud whistleblowers, and FCPA whistleblowers expose corrupt practices and claim whistleblower rewards.  If you are a person with special knowledge of significant fraud and corrupt practices, please feel free to contact Whistleblower Reward Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail message or use our submission form.  

Corrupt Federal Contractors and Federal Contractor Fraud Whistleblowers: USDOJ: US Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Fluor Companies by Texas Federal Contractor Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Corrupt Federal Contractors: Federal Contractor Fraud Whistleblowers Are Blowing the Whistle and Obtaining Large Financial Rewards For Expose Federal Contractor Fraud by Texas Federal Contractor Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer

Federal government contractors that commit fraud are the target of Whistleblower Recovery Laws that offer large financial rewards to federal contractor fraud whistleblowers that are the first to properly expose hard to detect fraud against the federal government.   By collecting evidence and building a case against corrupt federal government contractors, whistleblowers can make a large financial recovery for the United States and themselves.

For more information on this topic, please feel free to contact Corrupt Federal Contractor Fraud Whistleblower Jason Coomer.

USDOJ: US Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Fluor Companies

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against Fluor Hanford Inc. and its parent company, Fluor Corporation (collectively Fluor), in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Washington, the Justice Department announced today.   Fluor Hanford, Inc. is a subsidiary of Fluor Corporation, a Texas-based corporation that provides a wide variety of services to government and private customers.   The False Claims Act lawsuit was originally filed by whistleblower Loydene Rambo, a former employee of Fluor.  

Between 1999 and 2008, Fluor had a prime contract with the Department of Energy (DOE) to provide a wide variety of security, maintenance and operational services at the DOE’s Hanford Nuclear Site in southeastern Washington State.   As part of its contract, Fluor was responsible for managing and operating the Hazardous Materials Management and Emergency Response (HAMMER) Center, a federally-funded facility established to train Hanford site workers as well as first responders and law enforcement personnel.  

           

The whistleblower complaint alleges that, as a condition of receiving its DOE contract, Fluor was required to certify that it would not use federal funds for lobbying activities.   The complaint further alleges that between 2005 and 2008, Fluor ignored these restrictions and used DOE funding to lobby Congress and executive branch officials for more funding for HAMMER.   The complaint alleges that Fluor, and two lobbying firms hired by Fluor and paid using DOE funds, Secure Horizons LLC and Congressional Strategies LLC, lobbied members of Congress and executive branch agencies to include additional funds for HAMMER in agency appropriations.   The United States intervened in the lawsuit with respect to Fluor, but declined to intervene with respect to additional defendants, including Secure Horizons LLC and Congressional Strategies LLC.  

International Pharmaceutical Bribes: Analysis: U.S. foreign bribery penalties for drugmakers may lack bite | Reuters

International Pharmaceutical Bribes: International Whistleblower Reward Laws Offer Financial Rewards to Pharmaceutical Professionals That Expose International Pharmaceutical Bribes and Illegal Drug Procurement Kickbacks by International Pharmaceutical Bribe Lawyer, Drug Procurement Bribe Lawyer, and Drug Executive Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

International whistleblowers can recover large amounts of money for exposing international pharmaceutical bribes and illegal kickbacks.  As such, pharmaceutical representatives, international drug executives, government officials, physicians, health care providers, community activists, and other persons, who are the original source of specialized knowledge of international pharmaceutical bribes and other illicit payments for drug procurement, medical device procurement, medication, pharmaceutical, and medical equipment contracts.

 

For more information on a potential International Pharmaceutical Bribe Whistleblower Lawsuits, please feel free to go to the following web pages: International Medicine Bribe Lawyer and International Procurement Bribe Lawyer.


Analysis: U.S. foreign bribery penalties for drugmakers may lack bite | Reuters


"Global drugmakers are paying tens of millions of dollars to settle U.S. allegations that they bribed their way across emerging markets, but harsher penalties may be needed to deter the practice in untapped regions where billions are at stake."

"Federal authorities have cast a wide net to weed out suspected gift-giving and kickbacks to foreign doctors and government officials to gain a foothold in burgeoning new markets in Asia, Eastern Europe and Latin America."

"At least eight of the world's top 10 drugmakers, including Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, Pfizer Inc and Johnson &, have disclosed U.S. probes under the 1977 Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
Pfizer agreed to pay $60 million this year to settle FCPA charges and J&J reached a $70 million settlement last year. Pfizer is on track to record $10 billion in sales from emerging markets this year, while J&J said Brazil, Russia, India and China accounted for just under 10 percent of the $65 billion in sales it reported last year."

"With so much at stake outside of established markets in the United States and Europe, some experts say fines like these are hardly a deterrent."

"The $60 million fine for Pfizer to a lay person sounds like quite a bit of money, but in perspective it took less than two days of Lipitor sales during its peak. It's really just chump change for them," said Michael Leibfried, a senior analyst with market research consulting firm GlobalData. The cholesterol pill at its height was a $13 billion a year cash cow for Pfizer."

International Bank Fraud and Bank Violations of International Sanctions:U. S. Bureau of Industry and Security - DOJ Press Release - June 12, 2012

Bank Fraud and Violations of International Sanctions Lead to Loss of $619 Million

Banks that violate international sanctions and commit fraud are the target of the Department of Justice and new whistleblower reward laws.  For more information on potential international bank fraud whistleblower rewards, please go to the following webpage International Financial Services Whistleblowers and International Bank Fraud Whistleblowers.

U. S. Bureau of Industry and Security - DOJ Press Release - June 12, 2012

ING BANK N.V. AGREES TO FORFEIT $619 MILLION FOR ILLEGAL TRANSACTIONS WITH CUBAN AND IRANIAN ENTITIES

WASHINGTON – ING Bank N.V., a financial institution headquartered in Amsterdam, has agreed to forfeit $619 million to the Justice Department and the New York County District Attorney’s Office for conspiring to violate the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the Trading with the Enemy Act (TWEA) and for violating New York state laws by illegally moving billions of dollars through the U.S. financial system on behalf of sanctioned Cuban and Iranian entities. The bank has also entered into a parallel settlement agreement with the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).

The announcement was made by Lisa Monaco, Assistant Attorney General for National Security; Ronald C. Machen, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia; Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr., of the New York County District Attorney’s Office; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; Richard Weber, Chief, Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Criminal Investigation; and Adam J. Szubin, Director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

A criminal information was filed today in federal court in the District of Columbia charging ING Bank N.V. with one count of knowingly and willfully conspiring to violate the IEEPA and TWEA. ING Bank waived the federal indictment, agreed to the filing of the information and has accepted responsibility for its criminal conduct and that of its employees. ING Bank agreed to forfeit $619 million as part of the deferred prosecution agreements reached with the Justice Department and the New York County District Attorney’s Office.

According to court documents, starting in the early 1990s and continuing until 2007, ING Bank violated U.S. and New York state laws by moving more than $2 billion illegally through the U.S. financial system – via more than 20,000 transactions – on behalf of Cuban and Iranian entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions. ING Bank knowingly and willfully engaged in this criminal conduct, which caused unaffiliated U.S. financial institutions to process transactions that otherwise should have been rejected, blocked or stopped for investigation under regulations by OFAC relating to transactions involving sanctioned countries and parties.

“The fine announced today is the largest ever against a bank in connection with an investigation into U.S. sanctions violations and related offenses and underscores the national security implications of ING Bank’s criminal conduct. For more than a decade, ING Bank helped provide state sponsors of terror and other sanctioned entities with access to the U.S. financial system, allowing them to move billions of dollars through U.S. banks for illicit purchases and other activities,” said Assistant Attorney General Monaco. “I applaud the agents, analysts and prosecutors who for years pursued this case.”
“Banks that try to skirt U.S. sanctions laws undermine the integrity of our financial system and threaten our national security,” said U.S. Attorney Machen. “When banks place their loyalty to sanctioned clients above their obligation to follow the law, we will hold them accountable. On more than 20,000 occasions, ING intentionally manipulated financial and trade transactions to remove references to Iran, Cuba and other sanctioned countries and entities. Today’s $619 million forfeiture – the largest ever – holds ING accountable for its wrongdoing.”

“For years, ING Bank blatantly violated U.S. laws governing transactions involving Cuba and Iran, and then used shell companies and other deceptive measures to cover up its criminal conduct,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “Today’s resolution reflects a strong collaboration among federal and state law enforcement partners to hold ING accountable.”

“Investigations of financial institutions, businesses and individuals who violate U.S. sanctions by misusing banks in New York are vitally important to national security and the integrity of our banking system,” said New York County District Attorney Vance. “These cases give teeth to sanctions enforcement, send a strong message about the need for transparency in international banking and ultimately contribute to the fight against money laundering and terror financing. I thank our federal partners for their cooperation and assistance in pursuing this investigation.”

“Today, ING Bank was held accountable for their illegal actions involving the movement of more than $2 billion through the U.S. financial system on behalf of Cuban and Iranian entities subject to U.S. economic sanctions,” said FBI Assistant Director in Charge McJunkin. “Investigations of this type are complicated and demand significant time and dedication from agents, analysts and prosecutors. In this case, their steadfast tenacity brought this case through to today’s result, and we will continue to pursue these matters in diligent fashion.”

“In today’s environment of increasingly sophisticated financial markets, it’s critical that global institutions follow U.S. law, including sanctions against other countries,” said IRS Criminal Investigation Chief Weber. “The IRS is proud to share its world-renowned financial investigative expertise in this and other complex financial investigations. Creating new strategies and models of cooperation among our law enforcement partners to ensure international financial compliance is a top-priority of the IRS.”

“Our sanctions laws reflect core U.S. national security and foreign policy interests and OFAC polices them aggressively. Today's historic settlement should serve as a clear warning to anyone who would consider profiting by evading U.S. sanctions,” said OFAC Director Szubin. “We commend our federal and state colleagues for their work on this important investigation.”

The Scheme

According to court documents, ING Bank committed its criminal conduct by, among other things, processing payments for ING Bank’s Cuban banking operations through its branch in Curaçao on behalf of Cuban customers without reference to the payments’ origin, and by providing U.S. dollar trade finance services to sanctioned entities through misleading payment messages, shell companies and the misuse of ING Bank’s internal suspense account.

Furthermore, ING Bank eliminated payment data that would have revealed the involvement of sanctioned countries and entities, including Cuba and Iran; advised sanctioned clients on how to conceal their involvement in U.S. dollar transactions; fabricated ING Bank endorsement stamps for two Cuban banks to fraudulently process U.S. dollar travelers’ checks; and threatened to punish certain employees if they failed to take specified steps to remove references to sanctioned entities in payment messages.

According to court documents, this conduct occurred in various business units in ING Bank’s wholesale banking division and in locations around the world with the knowledge, approval and encouragement of senior corporate managers and legal and compliance departments. Over the years, several ING Bank employees raised concerns to management about the bank’s sanctions violations. However, no action was taken.

For decades, the United States has employed sanctions and embargoes on Iran and Cuba. Financial transactions conducted by wire on behalf of Iranian or Cuban financial institutions have been subject to these U.S. sanctions. The TWEA prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in financial transactions involving or benefiting Cuba or Cuban nationals and prohibits attempts to evade or avoid these restrictions. IEEPA makes it a crime to willfully attempt to commit, conspire to commit, or aid and abet in the commission of any violations of the Iranian Transaction Regulations, which prohibit the exportation of any services from the United States to Iran and any attempts to evade or avoid these restrictions. IEEPA and TWEA regulations are administered by OFAC.

The Investigation

 The Justice Department’s investigation into ING Bank arose out of ongoing investigations into the illegal export of goods from the United States to sanctioned countries, including Iran. For instance, ING processed payments on behalf of one customer, Aviation Services International B.V. (ASI), a Dutch aviation company which was the subject of a U.S. Commerce Department-initiated criminal investigation, through the United States for trade services relating to the procurement by ASI of dual-use U.S. aviation parts for ASI’s Iranian clients. The ING Bank investigation also resulted in part from a criminal referral from OFAC, which was conducting its own probe of ING Bank.
ING Bank’s forfeiture of $309.5 million to the United States and $309.5 million to the New York County District Attorney’s Office will settle forfeiture claims by the Department of Justice and the state of New York. In light of the bank’s remedial actions to date and its willingness to acknowledge responsibility for its actions, the Department will recommend the dismissal of the information in 18 months, provided ING Bank fully cooperates with, and abides by, the terms of the deferred prosecution agreement.

OFAC’s settlement agreement with ING deems the bank’s obligations to pay a civil settlement amount of $619 million to be satisfied by its payment of an equal amount to the Justice Department and the state of New York. OFAC’s settlement agreement further requires the bank to conduct a review of its policies and procedures and their implementation, taking a risk-based sampling of U.S. dollar payments, to ensure that its OFAC compliance program is functioning effectively to detect, correct and report apparent sanctions violations to OFAC.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney Jonathan C. Poling of the Justice Department’s National Security Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann H. Petalas and George P. Varghese, of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia; and Trial Attorney Matthew Klecka of the Criminal Division’s Asset Forfeiture and Money Laundering Section.
The case was investigated by the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the IRS-Criminal Investigation’s Washington Field Division, with assistance from the Treasury Department’s OFAC and the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security.

Oil Executive Convicted of Oil and Gas Investment Fraud: John Arthur Apple, Jr. Guilty Plea Press Release

OIL EXECUTIVE CONVICTED OF OIL AND GAS INVESTMENT FRAUD

Northern District of Texas Successfully Prosecuted Numerous Individuals
for Fraud in Connection with Oil and Gas Investments in Recent Years
DALLAS — This week, another oil and gas company executive, John Arthur Apple, Jr., 53, of Lewisville, Texas, pleaded guilty to felony offenses stemming from his operation of Western Pipeline Corporation. He is the fifth defendant to be convicted in that investment fraud case. Apple pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit securities fraud and one count of securities fraud and faces a maximum statutory sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine on each count. Sentencing is set for April 16, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay.

In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas, said, “During roughly the last two years, this office has mounted an aggressive campaign against investment fraud in the oil and gas business, which has led to the conviction of 19 individuals on felony charges of fraud and conspiracy. Prison sentences for the eleven defendants who have been sentenced total nearly 70 years. The remaining defendants awaiting sentencing are each facing five to 25-year prison sentences.” Saldaña continued, “This office will continue to work side-by-side with our law enforcement partners to prosecute those fraudsters who put their greed above the law.”

John Arthur Apple, Jr. Guilty Plea Press Release

Oil Industry Regulations: Dodd-Frank Act Rulemaking and Transparency in the Oil, Gas, and Mining Industry by Oil and Gas Professional Confidential Whistleblower Lawyer

New Mandatory Disclosures Will Provide Increased Transparency into the Oil and Gas Industry and May Expose Corrupt Practices That Can Be the Basis of Whistleblower Bounty Actions by Oil and Gas Professional Confidential Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

New mandatory disclosures are designed to expose corruption in the oil, gas, and mineral extraction industry.  Disclosure omissions and disclosure fraud can be the basis of SEC Bounty Actions that can result in large financial rewards for oil and gas professionals that expose large scale corruption including bribes to foreign governments to obtain drilling leases, mineral leases, and other lucrative contracts.  Oil and gas professionals that are aware of disclosure fraud are encouraged to contact an oil and gas professional whistleblower lawyer who can confidentially review a potential bounty action and confidentially file the bounty action on behalf of the whistleblower. 

Dodd-Frank Act Rulemaking: Specialized Corporate Disclosure

Title XV of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act contains several specialized disclosure provisions. For example:

• Section 1502 requires persons to disclose annually whether any conflict minerals that are necessary to the functionality or production of a product of the person, as defined in the provision, originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo or an adjoining country and, if so, to provide a report describing, among other matters, the measures taken to exercise due diligence on the source and chain of custody of those minerals, which must include an independent private sector audit of the report that is certified by the person filing the report. Certain aspects of this rulemaking will require consultation with other federal agencies, including the State Department, the Government Accountability Office, and the Commerce Department. Persons are not required to comply with these rules until their first full fiscal year after the date on which the Commission issues its final rules.
   
• Section 1503 requires any reporting issuer that is a mine operator, or has a subsidiary that is an operator, to disclose in each periodic report filed with the Commission information related to health and safety violations, including the number of certain violations, orders, and citations received from the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) among other matters. Issuers must also disclose in their Form 8-K reports the receipt from MSHA of any imminent danger orders or notices indicating that a mine has a pattern or potential pattern of violating mandatory health or safety standards.
   
• Section 1504 requires reporting issuers engaged in the commercial development of oil, natural gas, or minerals to disclose in an annual report certain payments made to the United States or a foreign government. This information must be provided in an interactive data format, and the Commission must make a compilation of the information available online. Issuers are not required to provide their disclosures until their first annual report ending at least one year after the date on which the Commission issues its final rules.

International Bank Fraud Whistleblower Rewards: IRS pays whistleblower $104 million

IRS and SEC Whistleblower Reward Laws Offer Large Rewards and Bounties to International Bank Fraud Whistleblowers That Expose Tax Fraud, False Accounting, Government Bribes, and Corruption in the Financial Services Industry by International Financial Services Whistleblower Lawyer and International Bank Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

New International Whistleblower Reward Laws have been enacted to encourage professionals with knowledge of financial services fraud, financial services government bribes, investment fraud and false accounting, and other Foreign Corrupt Practice Act Violations, to expose the fraud and corruption.  These new international whistleblower reward laws offer large financial rewards and whistleblower protections for persons that qualify and expose significant fraud and corruption.

If you are the original source with special knowledge of fraud and are interested in learning more about a potential bank employee whistleblower lawsuit, please feel free to contact Texas International Bank Employee Whistleblower Protection Lawyer, Multinational Bank Officer Whistleblower Lawyer, and International Financial Services Institute Employee Anonymous Whistleblower Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer or go to the following webpage: Financial Services Whistleblowers and Bank Whistleblowers Can Confidentially Expose Bank Fraud and Collect Large Financial Rewards.


IRS pays whistleblower $104 million

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Internal Revenue Service has awarded an ex-banker $104 million for providing information about overseas tax cheats — the largest amount ever awarded by the agency, lawyers for the whistleblower announced Tuesday.

Former Swiss banker Bradley Birkenfeld is credited with exposing widespread tax evasion at Swiss bank UBS AG. Birkenfeld himself served roughly two and-a-half years in prison for a fraud conspiracy conviction related to the case, which resulted in a $780 million fine against the bank and an unprecedented agreement requiring UBS to turn over thousands of names of suspected American tax dodgers to the IRS.

"The IRS today sent 104 million messages to whistleblowers around the world — that there is now a safe and secure way to report tax fraud and that the IRS is now paying awards," Birkenfeld's lawyers, Stephen M. Kohn and Dean A. Zerbe, said in a statement. "The IRS also sent 104 million messages to banks around the world — stop enabling tax cheats or you will get caught."

The IRS, which doesn't usually confirm individual award payments, said Birkenfeld signed a disclosure waiver, allowing the agency to confirm his award.

"The IRS believes that the whistleblower statute provides a valuable tool to combat tax non-compliance, and this award reflects our commitment to the law," IRS spokeswoman Michele Eldridge said in an email.

Birkenfeld has become something of a cause celebre among whistleblowers because of the magnitude of his case and the fact that he was jailed after cooperating with authorities.
In a summary of the award provided by Birkenfeld's lawyers, the IRS said, "The comprehensive information provided by the whistleblower was exceptional in both its breadth and depth."

"While the IRS was aware of tax compliance issues related to secret bank accounts in Switzerland and elsewhere, the information provided by the whistleblower formed the basis for unprecedented actions against UBS AG, with collateral impact on other enforcement activities and a continuing impact on future compliance by UBS AG," the IRS said in the summary.

Federal prosecutors, however, had said Birkenfeld withheld information about his own dealings with a former UBS client who pleaded guilty in 2007 to tax charges.

In 2006, Congress strengthened whistleblower rewards. The 2006 law targets high-income tax dodgers, guaranteeing rewards for qualified whistleblowers if the company in question owes a least $2 million in unpaid taxes, interest and penalties.

Some lawmakers, however, have complained that the IRS has been slow to pay out awards.
"The potential for this program is tremendous, and it's up to the IRS to continue paying rewards and demonstrating to whistleblowers that the process will work and that they will be heard and protected," said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, who helped write the law. "An award of $104 million is obviously a great deal of money, but billions of dollars in taxes owed will be collected that otherwise would not have been paid, as a result of the whistleblower information."

SEC Cracks Down Investment Fraud Schemes: James C. Howard III, Michael R. Casey, and Louis N. Gallo III, Defendants and Sutton Capital, LLC, J&W Trading, LLC, American Financial Solutions, LLC, and Minjo Corporation, Relief Defendants (Release No. LR-22472; September 6, 2012)

James C. Howard III, Michael R. Casey, and Louis N. Gallo III, Defendants and Sutton Capital, LLC, J&W Trading, LLC, American Financial Solutions, LLC, and Minjo Corporation, Relief Defendants (Release No. LR-22472; September 6, 2012)

On September 5, 2012, the Securities and Exchange Commission charged an attorney and two others living in South Florida for their roles in a $27.5 million investment scheme that led investors to believe they were purchasing securities consisting of "pre-sold" commodities contracts with a pre-determined profit. However, the supposed profits actually distributed to investors were largely taken from other investors' funds.

The SEC halted the scheme last year when it obtained an asset freeze and a court-appointed receiver over the companies involved: Commodities Online LLC and Commodities Online Management LLC. The SEC's follow-up charges are against the founder and former president of the company, James C. Howard III, as well as the company's vice president Louis N. Gallo III and outside counsel Michael R. Casey, who later became the president.

In a parallel action, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida today announced criminal charges against Howard, Gallo and Casey.
According to the SEC's complaint filed in federal court in Miami, Commodities Online offered investors the chance to participate in its purportedly profitable brokering of physical commodities via pre-sold contracts - for example, the purchase and sale of large amounts of seafood or iron ore. Investors were sold participation units in unregistered private placement offerings, each supposedly tied to a commodities transaction in which Commodities Online had already secured a buyer and a seller of the commodity. These participation units would purportedly generate predetermined profits for investors.

The SEC alleges that in reality, Commodities Online performed only a limited percentage of the commodities transactions that were promised to investors. The majority of "profits" allocated or distributed to investors were not profits from completed commodities transactions, but instead taken from the funds of other investors. Meanwhile, Howard and Gallo were dissipating millions of dollars in investor funds to largely sham companies. Through these companies, Howard and Gallo stole investor funds for their own use. For example, Howard met with prospective investors at a luxury hotel in Fort Lauderdale and offered Commodities Online membership interests. He told investors that the funds raised from the offering would be used for the company's start-up costs such as salaries, marketing, and advertising. However, within weeks of receiving $2 million in investor funds for the purchase of the membership units, Howard siphoned $1.45 million to another entity he controlled. Furthermore, Howard failed to disclose to prospective investors that he's a convicted felon.
According to the SEC's complaint, Howard stepped down as the company's president in 2010 after he was arrested for an unrelated investment fraud. He was replaced by Casey, who misled investors about Howard's continuing control over Commodities Online while also misrepresenting the profitability, structure, and existence of the purported commodities contracts to investors. Casey also failed to tell at least one investor that the funds raised from the purchase of membership interests had previously been misappropriated by Howard.

The SEC alleges that Gallo ran an in-house "boiler room" of telephone sales agents and a network of approximately 20 regional and international sales offices. He failed to disclose to investors that he previously pled guilty to federal bank fraud and other felonies and was serving a term of supervised release while employed at Commodities Online. Gallo also misled investors about Howard's role at Commodities Online.

The SEC's complaint charges Howard, Gallo and Casey with violations of Sections 5(a), 5(c) and 17(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and Rule 10b-5. They're also charged with aiding and abetting violations by Commodities Online and Commodities Online Management of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5. Howard is further charged with a violation of Section 20(a) of the Exchange Act as a control person of Commodities Online, and the complaint alleges he is therefore jointly and severally liable for Commodities Online's violations of Section 10(b) of the Exchange Act and Rules 10b-5 thereunder. The SEC is seeking disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus pre-judgment interest, financial penalties, and permanent injunctions against Howard, Gallo, and Casey. The SEC's complaint also names several relief defendants for the purposes of recovering investor money steered to those entities in the scheme: Sutton Capital LLC, J&W Trading LLC, American Financial Solutions LLC, and Minjo Corporation.

Government Procurement Bribes Can Be The Basis of International Whistleblower Rewards: What Awaits Investors in the Far East After APEC | 2012 | APEC Russia 2012 | The Moscow Times

Government Procurement Bribes From Increased Government Procurement Spending Can Be The Basis For International Whistleblower Rewards:  International Whistleblowers Are Receiving Large Financial Rewards for Exposing Government Procurement Bribe Schemes and other Government Corruption by International Government Procurement Bribe Lawyer, International  Procurement Contract Bribe Lawyer, and International Procurement Illegal Kickback Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Worldwide government purchasing or government procurement is estimated to be over $10 Trillion each year and is expected to continue to increase as many countries are investing in large infrastructure projects and public health projects.  Of this large amount of government purchasing, it is estimated that as much as 20% may be through illegal bribes, kickbacks, and other illicit payments.  Government procurement spending includes military spending; public works projects; public health care (pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, & hospitals); ports, transportation, & roads; mining and oil extraction; power grid and stations; education; law enforcement; and sanitation services.  Because of the vast amount of money spent by governments on government procurement, there are many different types of government procurement illegal bribery schemes, illegal kickback schemes, and other illicit payment schemes that have been created to steal money from the public at the expense of a country's citizens.

If you are aware of a government procurement illegal bribery scheme, illegal kickback scheme, and other illicit payment scheme, it is important that you learn how to properly report the government corruption and determine the best way to expose the corruption.  For more information on this topic, please go to the following web pages: Government Procurement International Whistleblowers and Latin America Procurement and Contract Bribe Whistleblowers.

What Awaits Investors in the Far East After APEC | 2012 | APEC Russia 2012 | The Moscow Times


Far East Development Minister Viktor Ishayev has called for increased state spending on infrastructure, mainly railroads and highways, that could facilitate mining, logging and other local businesses.

"This is the only way for us to get serious development," he said at a meeting dedicated to the Far East, chaired by Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in July. "Where there are roads, there is life."
Former and present business leaders have pushed another agenda. The government must announce tax breaks and rebates for any new businesses in the Far East, said Pavel Maslovsky, a Federation Council senator who formerly worked as a mining director in the region.

"The solution is to create a special economic zone for the entire Far East," he said. "A special taxation regime could drive the economy forward."

One of the heaviest burdens, the profit tax, needs to disappear altogether for a while, he said.
"It should be a total zero," Maslovsky, who led the Petropavlovsk company, said in an interview. "Why be petty about this?"

Investors in a new Far Eastern enterprise could use breaks for the value-added and property taxes, he said. The social tax, charged on the payroll, could stay, but at a lower rate.
"As a former executive of a metallurgic company, I know that would give a strong push to the things there," Maslovsky said.

Given these conditions, private companies could bankroll construction of some of the required roads and power lines to remote natural-resource deposits, rather than wait for the state to make these basic investments, he said.

Maslovsky mentioned the need for a rail connection between Magadan and the country's railway system. There's also demand for greater capacity of the one-track Baikal-Amur Railway. Companies use the railway to transport coal, timber and other resources, mainly for export from the Pacific coastal ports.

Read more: http://www.themoscowtimes.com/special/apec/2012/what-awaits-investors-in-the-far-east-after-apec.html#ixzz25WZMAGlC
The Moscow Times

Defense Industry Faces New Scrutiny of Anti-Corruption Practices - Businessweek

Defense Industry Faces New Scrutiny of Anti-Corruption Practices - Businessweek

More than 100 defense companies from Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT), the world’s largest arms maker, to Czech military truck manufacturer Tatra AS, face a new test of their anticorruption practices as an independent watchdog puts the industry under examination. 

The U.K. arm of Transparency International will issue its first ranking of about 130 companies worldwide on Oct. 4, grading their corporate guidelines for avoiding corruption. Each company is being assessed against 34 criteria and will receive a grade from A to F, an executive for the not-for-profit organization said in an interview in London.

Hedge Fund Manager Insider Trading Schemes: Fraud Clay Capital Management, LLC, et al.

Hedge Fund Manager Insider Trading Scheme Lawyers Are Working With The SEC To Obtain Large Financial Rewards For Whistleblowers That Properly Expose Hedge Fund Manager Insider Trading Schemes and Money Manger Insider Trading Schemes by Hedge Fund Manager Insider Trading Scheme Lawyer, Confidential Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer, & Stock Manipulation Scheme Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer

Hedge Fund Manager Insider Trading Scheme Lawyers are working with confidential whistleblowers and the SEC to obtain large financial rewards for insider trade whistleblowers that properly expose insider and stock manipulation schemes including hedge fund manager insider trading, money manger insider trading, hedge fund manager illegal trades, and stock manipulation schemes.  These insider trading whistleblower rewards can be obtained by financial professionals with knowledge of illegal insider trading and other SEC violations.  The SEC encourages all financial professionals with original knowledge of executive insider trades, hedge fund insider trades, private equity fund fraud, false misleading information on a company's financial statements, false information on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, stock manipulation schemes; embezzlement by stockbrokers; and other securities fraud to properly expose the violations.

If you want to confidentially explore a potential SEC bounty action, please feel free to contact Confidential  Insider Trade Whistleblower Reward Lawyer and Securities Fraud Insider Trading Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail message or go to the following web page: Hedge Fund Manager Insider Trading Scheme Lawyer, Confidential Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer, & Stock Manipulation Scheme Whistleblower Lawyer.

HEDGE FUND MANAGER AND HIS FIRM ORDERED TO DISGORGE MORE THAN $2 MILLION OF ILLICIT PROFITS FROM INSIDER TRADING SCHEME

The Securities and Exchange Commission announced that on August 29, 2012, the U. S. District Court for the District of New Jersey entered final judgments against New Jersey hedge fund firm Clay Capital Management, LLC and its former Chief Investment Officer, James F. Turner II, for their roles in an insider trading scheme involving the securities of three companies – Moldflow Corporation, Autodesk, Inc. and Salesforce.com, Inc. The Court ordered Clay Capital and Turner to pay $2.1 million in illicit gains and permanently enjoined them from future violations of the antifraud provisions of the federal securities laws.

Clay Capital Management, LLC, et al.

TNK-BP Sues Executive | Business | The Moscow Times

TNK-BP Sues Executive | Business | The Moscow Times

"TNK-BP has filed a lawsuit with an Arkansas court to freeze the U.S. assets of Igor Lazurenko, a former executive of the company, Kommersant reported Tuesday, citing a TNK-BP spokesman."

"The lawsuit was filed to comply with an injunction of the High Court of Justice, the spokesman said. He added that the British court was hearing another lawsuit filed by TNK-BP against Lazurenko.
TNK-BP accused Lazurenko of receiving bribes worth $13 million for awarding oil shipping contracts to transportation companies N-Trans and Sovfrakht."

"For his part, Lazurenko has accused TNK-BP and German Khan, one of its co-owners, of corruption, Bloomberg reported. Lazurenko headed TNK-BP's logistics department and was fired in April."

International Whistleblower Reward Laws Encourage International Whistleblowers to Expose Government Corruption, Oil Company Bribes to Public Officials, Illegal Kickbacks from Energy Companies, Illicit Payments to Government Officials, and other Violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by International Oil Company Employee Whistleblower Reward Lawyer, International Oil Company Bribe Whistleblower Reward Lawyer, & Energy Company Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

New International Whistleblower Reward Laws offer large potential rewards or bounties to international oil company employee whistleblowers, foreign government official whistleblowers, and other international whistleblowers that blow the whistle on international oil company contract bribes, international accounting fraud, international energy company fraud, and international oil lease bribes.  If you have evidence of oil company government bribes, public official illegal kickbacks for oil extraction contracts, or other government official corruption for mineral extraction, please feel free to contact International Oil Company Bribe Whistle Blower Lawyer and International Energy Company Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Violation Whistleblower Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer or go to the following web pages:  Russia Whistleblowers, Пожалуйста, нажмите здесь для русскихInternational Extraction & Mining Contract WhistleblowersandOil Industry Employee Whistleblowers.

Drug Diversion Fraud Lawsuits: USDOJ: South Carolina Pharmaceutical Distribution Company Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme to Purchase and Sell Drugs in the Grey Market

Drug Diversion Fraud Can Be The Basis of Federal False Claims Act and Qui Tam Whistle Blower Lawsuits by Drug Diversion Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer, Adulterated Drug Whistle Blower Lawyer, and Drug Diversion Fraud Qui Tam Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Drug Diversion Fraud can the basis of a qui tam whistle blower lawsuit under the Federal False Claims Act resulting in large financial rewards for drug diversion fraud whistle blowers that properly blow the whistle on large scale prescription drug schemes that divert prescription drugs from lawful channels of drug wholesale distribution to illegal distribution channels at increased costs.  These prescription drugs schemes can include adulterated drug fraud, illegal drug kickbacks, or other pharmaceutical manufacturing fraud that create dangerous drugs and illegal use of prescription drugs.  For more information on drug diversion fraud, please feel free to contact Drug Whistle Blower Lawyer and Drug Diversion Qui Tam Lawyer Jason Coomer.

USDOJ: South Carolina Pharmaceutical Distribution Company Pleads Guilty in Multi-Million Dollar Scheme to Purchase and Sell Drugs in the Grey Market

The Department of Justice announced the guilty plea and sentencing of Easley, S.C.-based Altec Medical for engaging in a multi-million dollar prescription drug scheme.  Altec Medical pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Miami to one count of conspiring to defraud the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and to commit federal offenses in connection with a drug-diversion scheme that lasted from 2007 to 2009.

 

In the sentencing, U.S. District Judge Robert N. Scola, Jr. ordered Altec to pay a $2 million fine and to forfeit $1 million. The judge also ordered the company to be on probation for one year.

 

In a criminal information filed with the court, the government charged that Altec paid its supplier and co-conspirator William D. Rodriguez, approximately $55 million for prescription drugs that it knew had been diverted from lawful channels of drug wholesale distribution.    “Drug Diversion” refers to various ways in which prescription drugs are removed from lawful channels of distribution and then reintroduced into the marketplace for sale to consumers. In drug diversion schemes, prescription drugs at issue are often stolen from warehouses or cargo trucks; torn from boxes of free samples, repackaged and resold; or bought from individual patients looking to make extra money.

Home Health Care Qui Tam Lawsuits: USDOJ: Tennessee-Based Home Health Care Provider & Related Entities Agree to Pay More Than $9 M to Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit by Texas Home Health Care Fraud Qui Tam Lawyer & Medicare Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

  Home Health Care Fraud and Medicare Fraud Is On The Rise: Home Health Care Provider Employees and Retirement Community Employees Can Receive Large Rewards For Properly Exposing Medicare Fraud Schemes Including Billing for Services Not Provided, Double Billing, and Illegal Kickbacks by Texas Home Health Care Fraud Qui Tam Lawyer & Medicare Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Home health fraud and Medicare fraud is on the rise as some health care providers and retirement communities are using Medicare billing fraud and Medicare kickback schemes to bill Medicare for services that are not provided and taking advantage of Seniors and taxpayers.  These fraudulent home health care service schemes can be difficult to detect and it often will take a home health care service employee or retirement center employee to blow the whistle on the home health care Medicare fraud scheme or home health care Medicaid scheme.  

USDOJ: Tennessee-Based Home Health Care Provider & Related Entities Agree to Pay More Than $9 M to Resolve False Claims Act Lawsuit

"James W. Carell, CareAll Management LLC (formerly known as Diversifi ed He alth Mana gement Inc.), C are All Inc., the James W. Car ell Family Trust, V IP Home Nursing and Reh abilitation Servi ces L LC, Professional Home He alth Care L LC, University Home H ealth, LLC and Elizabeth Vining (as representative of the Estate of Robert Vining) have agreed to pay $9.375 million to the federal government.   This payment is to resolve the lawsuit that the United States filed in 2009 alleging that they violated the False Claims Act, caused Medicare to pay out money through mistake of fact, and were unjustly enriched by falsely concealing the home health agencies’ relationship with their management company, the Justice Department announced today."  

"VIP, Professional and University now operate under the name CareAll.   James W. Carell and the related CareAll entities named above also agreed to be bound by the terms of a Corporate Integrity Agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG)."  

"CareAll and its related entities are one of the largest home health providers in Tennessee.   This settlement resolves the United States’ lawsuit alleging that the CareAll entities fraudulently submitted eight cost reports for fiscal years 1999, 2000 and 2001 to support their Medicare billings.   The United States alleged that these cost reports were false because they knowingly hid the relationship between the management company and the home health agencies.   According to the complaint the United States filed in this case, the cost reports should have disclosed that the management company was related to the home health agencies, which would have lowered the Medicare reimbursement for the management company’s services.   During the relevant years, the United States alleged that James W. Carell owned the management company, and his friend Robert Vining – an attorney who lived in Missouri – served as the nominee or “sham” owner of the home health agencies."    

Home Health Care Fraud Qui Tam Lawsuits, Retirement Community Fraud Lawsuits, & Medicare Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Bblower Lawsuits

The United States Department of Justice and Texas Home Health Care Fraud Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer, are encouraging home health care employees and other whistle blowers with evidence of systematic Home Health Care Medicare fraud or systematic Home Health Care Medicaid fraud to step up and blow the whistle on home health care fraud schemes.    For more information on a being a Medicare Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Blower or Medicaid Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Blower, please feel free to contact Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail message or go to the following web page: Home Health Care Fraud Qui Tam Lawsuits, Retirement Community Fraud Lawsuits, & Medicare Home Health Care Fraud Whistle Bblower Lawsuits.

IRS Offshore Tax Fraud Lawsuits: Ex-UBS clients get year in prison in offshore tax dodge case by IRS Tax Whistleblower Lawyer and IRS Tax Avoidance Illegal Offshore Account Lawyer Jason Coomer

IRS Offshore Tax Fraud Is One OF the Targets of the IRS Tax Whistleblower Reward Program: The IRS Is Offering Large Rewards To Tax Fraud Whistleblowers That Help Expose An Estimated $3 Trillion in Illegal Offshore Accounts as Well as Several Other Tax-Avoidance Schemes by IRS Tax Whistleblower Lawyer and IRS Tax Avoidance Illegal Offshore Account Lawyer Jason Coomer

The economic incentives in the Tax Whistleblower Reward Program are designed to encourage insider tax fraud informants and tax fraud whistleblowers with knowledge and evidence of large tax violations and tax fraud schemes to step forward and report the massive tax fraud.  The IRS is hoping that there will be several tax fraud whistleblowers and tax fraud informants that will help them detect and collect on an estimated $3 Trillion in illegal offshore accounts as well as several other tax-avoidance schemes that have been perpetrated by billionaires and millionaires as well as large corporations.

Ex-UBS clients get year in prison in offshore tax dodge case

"Two former clients of UBS AG were sentenced on Monday to a year and a day in prison, matching what records show as the longest prison term ordered so far in a sprawling investigation of offshore tax avoidance involving the Swiss banking giant.  Sean and Nadia Roberts of Tehachapi, California, were also ordered to pay $3.2 million in restitution and fines, the U.S. Justice Department said. He is 77 years old and she is 64. The couple pleaded guilty in 2011 to filing a false income tax return. From 2004 to 2008, they failed to report interest income from millions held in offshore accounts, falsely deducted bank transfers and under-reported income, prosecutors said."

If you are aware of illegal offshore account tax fraud, underpayment of taxes, tax avoidance, or other IRS tax fraud and would like more information on this topic, please feel free to contact IRS Tax Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail message or go to the following web pages: IRS Tax Whistleblower Lawyer or Illegal Offshore Account Tax Fraud Lawyer.

Oil Company Accounting Fraud and USDOJ FFCA Press Release: Louis Dreyfus Energy Services Pays $4 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Violated the False Claims Act by Oil Company Accounting Fraud Lawyer

Oil Company Accounting Fraud Can Be the Basis of SEC Violations, Federal False Claims Act Lawsuits, Class Actions, Shareholder Actions, and other Oil Company Production Fraud Lawsuits by Oil Company Accounting Fraud Lawyer, Petroleum Accountant Whistleblower Bounty Lawyer, and Oil Company Accounting Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Oil Company Fraud including Oil Company Accounting Fraud, Oil Company Royalty Fraud, Oil Company Tax Fraud, Oil Company Working Interest Fraud, and Oil Company Production Fraud are forms of corporate fraud that can result in qui tam lawsuits, shareholder lawsuits, bounty actions, class actions, and several other types of fraud litigation.  Petroleum professionals including petroleum accountants, petroleum executives, and other oil company employees with original information of significant oil company accounting fraud, oil company royalty fraud, oil company tax fraud, oil company working interest fraud, and/or oil company production fraud by a large oil company may be able to collect a large reward through several whistleblower laws. The key to obtaining a large whistleblower award is to make sure that as the whistleblower you are the first to file with sufficient evidence of significant fraud.  

USDOJ: Louis Dreyfus Energy Services Pays $4 Million to Resolve Allegations That It Violated the False Claims Act

Louis Dreyfus Energy Services has paid the United States $4,084,000 to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by failing to pay money owed on natural gas acquired from the Department of the Interior, the Justice Department announced today.   Louis Dreyfus, which is based in Connecticut, is an energy company that is involved in merchandising, transportation, trading and storage of natural gas.

The settlement agreement resolves contentions by the United States that from December 2004 to March 2008, Louis Dreyfus Energy Services made false claims or misleading statements to the Department of the Interior involving contracts to buy natural gas produced from federal oil and gas leases in the Gulf of Mexico.   Starting in 2004, Louis Dreyfus agreed to pay the Interior Department for natural gas based on a price associated with the delivery of the gas at a fixed point along a natural gas pipeline. After its contracts with the Interior Department were executed, the company requested and received a discount in the price it would pay the Interior Department for the natural gas obtained under the contracts.   The United States contends that this price discount applied only when there was a complete or near-complete constraint in the natural gas pipeline such that Louis Dreyfus was unable to transport natural gas along the pipeline.   However, the energy services company claimed and obtained the price discounts even on days when it was able to ship natural gas along the pipeline.   Thus, the United States contends that Louis Dreyfus was not entitled to the price discounts that it sought and received from the Department of the Interior.

If you are the original source with special knowledge of oil company fraud and are interested in learning more about a potential oil company whistleblower lawsuit, please feel free to contact Texas Oil Company Accounting Fraud Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer or go to the following web pages: Oil Company Accounting Fraud Lawsuits or International Oil Company False Reporting Lawsuits and International Oil Company Government Corruption Lawsuits.

Davis Bacon False Certification Whistleblower Lawsuits and Government Contractor Prevailing Wage Fraud Whistleblower Lawsuits Encourage Whistleblowers to Expose DBRA Violations by Offering Large Rewards by Government Contractor Wage Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer and Davis Bacon False Certification Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Government Contractors That Fail To Pay Prevailing Wages Can Be Violating the Davis Bacon Wage Laws: DBRA Violations Can Be The Basis of a Prevailing Wage Whistleblower Lawsuit by Davis Bacon False Certification Whistleblower Lawyer and Government Contractor Prevailing Wage Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

The Davis Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) requires all contractors and subcontractors performing work on federal or District of Columbia construction contracts or federally assisted contracts in excess of $2,000 to pay their laborers and mechanics not less than the prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits for corresponding classes of laborers and mechanics employed on similar projects in the area. The prevailing wage rates and fringe benefits are determined by the Secretary of Labor for inclusion in covered contracts.

In addition to the Davis Bacon Act itself, Congress added Davis-Bacon prevailing wage provisions to approximately 60 laws—"related Acts"—under which federal agencies assist construction projects through grants, loans, loan guarantees, and insurance. (Examples of the related Acts are the Federal-Aid Highway Acts, the Housing and Community Development Act of 1974, and the Federal Water Pollution Control Act.) Generally, the application of prevailing wage requirements to projects receiving federal assistance under any particular "related" Act depends on the provisions of that law. 

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has oversight responsibilities to assure coordination of administration and consistency of enforcement of the labor standards provisions of the Davis Bacon and Related Acts. Under this authority, DOL has issued regulations establishing standards and procedures for the administration and enforcement of the Davis-Bacon labor standards provisions. Federal contracting agencies have day-to-day responsibility for administration and enforcement of the Davis-Bacon labor standards provisions in covered contracts for which they are responsible or to which they provide federal assistance under laws they administer.

If you are aware of a defense contractor, highway contractor, large health care company, or other large contractor or subcontractor that is defrauding the United States Government out of millions or billions of dollars, it is extremely important that the fraud is reported.  For more information on the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA), please go to the following United States Department of Labor Web Page or Government Contractor Wage Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer

Financial Services Fraud Crackdown: Prosecutors, regulators close to making Libor arrests | Reuters

The SEC and Several Government Agencies Are Cracking Down on Financial Services Fraud That May Send Bankers, Brokers, and other Financial Services Professionals to Jail and Allow SEC Bounty Action Whistle Blowers That Act Quickly to Reap Large Financial Rewards by Texas Bank Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer and Texas Broker Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

The SEC is offering large financial rewards to encourage bankers and financial services professionals with knowledge of financial services fraud, investment fraud schemes, insider trading, false accounting schemes, stock manipulation schemes, and other SEC violations, to expose fraud and corruption.  These rewards are only available to whistle blowers that are the first to properly expose the fraud.  These whistle blowers will need to act quickly as the SEC and other government agencies are moving forward with several high profile investigations and arrests that may reveal the fraud. 

Exclusive: Prosecutors, regulators close to making Libor arrests | Reuters

"Federal prosecutors in Washington, D.C., have recently contacted lawyers representing some of the individuals under suspicion to notify them that criminal charges and arrests could be imminent, said two of those sources who asked not to be identified because the investigation is ongoing."

"Defense lawyers, some of whom represent individuals under suspicion, said prosecutors have indicated they plan to begin making arrests and filing criminal charges in the next few weeks. In long-running financial investigations it is not uncommon for prosecutors to contact defense lawyers for individuals before filing charges to offer them a chance to cooperate or take a plea, these lawyer said."

New York and Connecticut probing banks over Libor manipulation

"New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has launched a probe into possible manipulation of the Libor benchmark international lending rates by global banks, his spokesman said on Sunday.
Schneiderman, along with Connecticut's Attorney General George Jepsen started the investigation six months ago into the possible rigging of Libor, the London interbank offered rate, New York Attorney General spokesman James Freedland told Reuters."

"The U.S. Justice Department is also building criminal cases against several financial institutions and their employees related to the manipulation of interest rates, The New York Times reported on Saturday.  The Times said cities, states and municipalities in the United States were trying to determine whether they suffered loses due to rate manipulation and some had filed suit. Given the broad scope of the Libor case and the number of institutions thought to be involved, the investigations could provide authorities with a "signature moment" to hold big banks accountable for misdeeds during the financial crisis, which hit global markets from late 2007, the newspaper said."

Texas Financial Services Whistle Blower Lawyer and Texas Banker Whistle Blower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer Works With Financial Services Professionals to Confidentially Evaluate SEC Whistleblower Bounty Actions and Protect Financial Services Whistle Blowers From Retaliation

Texas Bank Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer and Texas Broker Fraud Whistle Blower Lawyer, Jason S. Coomer, works with financial services professionals who want to confidentially blow the whistle on securities fraud, investment fraud, SEC violations, and other forms of financial fraud.   By working with a financial fraud whistle blower lawyer, these financial fraud whistle blowers can confidentially evaluate their SEC whistle blower bounty action and protect their career.  If you are aware of securities fraud or other financial fraud and need more information on this topic,  please feel free to contact Texas Bank Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer and Texas Broker Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail message  or go to the following web pages: International Financial Services Whistle Blower Lawsuit Information or SEC Whistle Blower Incentive Program Lawsuit Information. 

Health Care Professionals Are Needed to Expose Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, and Other Types of Health Care Fraud by Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Health Care Professionals Are Needed to Expose Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, and Other Types of Health Care Fraud: These Medical Professionals Can Work Confidentially Through A Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Protection Lawyer To Determine the Validity of a Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Claim and Protect Their Career by Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, Hospital Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, & Hospital Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Health care fraud has reached an estimated $250 Billion per year and continues to increase.  As one of the most lucrative crimes in the United States, large health care systems are finding new and different schemes to reap large profits from Medicare fraud, Medicaid fraud, Tricare fraud, and other health care fraud.  Health care professionals including chief financial officers, benefit coordinators, Medicare compliance coordinators, coding specialists, Medicare reimbursement managers, accountants, and other health care professionals are needed to step forward and to blow the whistle on health care fraud and hospital fraud that costs tax payers hundreds of Billions of dollars and take down the health care system.  

Health Care Fraud Whistleblowers Can Protect Themselves From Potential Retaliation and Increase Their Ability to Recover a Reward by Working with a Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer

By coming forward as the original source of specialized information of health care fraud these health care fraud whistleblowers may receive large economic rewards for being the first to file on these health care fraud scams and are helping taxpayers recover large amounts of money from companies committing health care fraud. However, it is often beneficial for these health care fraud whistleblowers to hire a health care fraud whistleblower lawyer to help protect them from potential retaliation and help prepare the disclosure to increase the probability of a recovery.

For more information on a potential Health System Health Care Fraud Lawsuit, Health Care Coding Fraud Lawsuit, or other Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawsuit, feel free to contact Hospital Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer via e-mail message or go to the following web pages: Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, National Whistleblower's Resources and Information: Health Care Fraud, or  Hospital Medicare Fraud Whistleblower Lawsuits

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Is Offering Large Rewards International Whistleblowers: Efforts to Expose Market Manipulations in the Cotton Trade and Other International Markets by International CFTC Futures Trading Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Is Offering Large Rewards and Bounties to International Whistleblowers That Properly Expose International Futures Trading Fraud and Market Manipulation Schemes by International CFTC Futures Trading Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is offering large financial rewards and bounties to International Whistleblowers that properly expose international futures trading fraud, currency trading fraud, and market manipulation schemes.  These new International Whistleblower Bounty Laws have been enacted to encourage international financial services professionals, high end investors, government officials, international regulators, and other individuals with knowledge of securities fraud, hedge fund fraud, derivatives fraud, financial services government bribes, investment fraud, corporate false accounting, and other SEC violations and CFTC violations, to expose the fraud and corruption.  These new international whistleblower reward laws offer large financial rewards and whistleblower protections for persons including international whistleblowers that qualify and expose significant fraud and corruption.

 
Louis Dreyfus Sued by Trader Over Cotton Futures Pricing - Bloomberg

"Three units of Louis Dreyfus Holdings BV of the Netherlands were sued by a trader who accused the company of manipulating the cotton-futures market." 

"Cotton futures jumped to a record $2.197 a pound on March 7, 2011, after the worst drought in at least a century decimated crops in Texas, the biggest U.S. producer. Prices plunged 58 percent by the end of the year as demand tumbled in China, the world’s largest consumer. The fiber has fallen another 22 percent in 2012."

"At issue in the lawsuit were futures contracts expiring in May 2011 and July 2011. The suit alleged Louis Dreyfus manipulated the prices by taking deliveries of millions of pounds of cotton.  In June 2011, the cotton market experienced a supply “squeeze,” with stockpiles plunging 73 percent in one day, according to consulting firm FCStone Fibers & Textiles."


For more information on this topic, please feel free to go to the following web page: The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Rewards for International Whistleblowers.

Government Grant & Research Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer

What are some examples of grant, loan, research & education fraud?

-Education Fraud
-Providing Improper Incentive Pay to Recruiters
-Falsifying Grant Applications
-Using Grant Money for Prohibited Purposes
-Falsifying Research Results & Data 
-Not Following Ethics or Guidelines

Find more information about the above topics at http://www.nationalwhistleblowers.com

Health Care Professionals Are Needed to Expose Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, and Other Types of Health Care Fraud: These Medical Professionals Can Work Confidentially Through A Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Protection Lawyer To Determine the Validity of a Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Claim and Protect Their Career by Hospital System Medicare Fraud Lawyer, Health Care System Medicare Fraud Lawyer, Health System Medicare Compliance Fraud Lawyer, Hospital Medicare Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, Health System Medicare Reimbursement Fraud Lawyer, Hospital Medicare Reimbursement & Compliance Whistleblower Protection Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Health Care Professionals Are Needed to Expose Medicare Fraud, Medicaid Fraud, and Other Types of Health Care Fraud: These Medical Professionals Can Work Confidentially Through A Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Protection Lawyer To Determine the Validity of a Health Care Fraud Whistleblower Claim and Protect Their Career by Hospital System Medicare Fraud Lawyer, Health Care System Medicare Fraud Lawyer, Health System Medicare Compliance Fraud Lawyer, Hospital Medicare Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, Health System Medicare Reimbursement Fraud Lawyer, Hospital Medicare Reimbursement, & Compliance Whistleblower Protection Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

Health care professionals including chief financial officers, benefit coordinators, Medicare compliance coordinators, coding specialists, Medicare reimbursement managers, accountants, and other health care professionals are needed to come forward and blow the whistle on health system fraud and hospital fraud that costs tax payer hundreds of billions of dollars. It is estimated that Medicare fraud and Medicaid fraud costs tax payers between $100 Billion and $200 Billion each year.  As such, the United States Department of Justice is encouraging Medicare Fraud Whistleblowers and Medicaid Fraud Whistleblowers with evidence of systematic Medicare fraud or systematic Medicaid fraud to step up and blow the whistle on Medicare fraud and Medicaid fraud.

By coming forward as the original source of specialized information of Medicare fraud these whistleblowers may receive large economic rewards for being the first to file on these Medicare billing fraud scams, are avoiding potential criminal liability for not reporting Medicare billing fraud, and are helping taxpayers recover large amounts of money.  However, it can be a difficult decision to for many health care professionals to step forward to expose health care fraud as they may fear retaliation or damaging their career. 

As such, medical professionals including medical doctors and physicians that blow the whistle on Medicare fraud and Medicaid fraud will often require special protection to protect their medical career and reputation from potential retaliations.  By contacting a medical doctor whistleblower lawyer, physician whistleblower lawyer, or health care professional whistleblower lawyer, a potential health care professional whistleblower can often better protect their career from retaliation, determine potential liabilities for exposing or not exposing fraud, and determine if reporting systematic Medicare fraud and Medicaid fraud may result in a potential reward. 

CFTC and SEC Seek Whistleblowers to Expose Investment Fraud, Insider Trading, and Securities Fraud

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Are Offering Large Rewards and Bounties to Whistleblowers That Properly Expose Hedge Fund Fraud, Investment Fraud, Insider Trading, False Accounting, Investment Derivative Fraud, Government Official Bribes, and Securities Fraud by Hedge Fund Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, Securities Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer, Insider Trading Whistleblower Lawyer, and Investment Derivatives Fraud Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are offering large financial rewards and bounties to whistleblowers that properly expose hedge fund fraud, securities fraud, corporate false accounting, government official bribes, and corruption in the Financial Services Industry.  These new Whistleblower Bounty Laws have been enacted to encourage financial services professionals, high end investors, government officials, regulators, and other individuals with knowledge of securities fraud, hedge fund fraud, derivatives fraud, financial services government bribes, investment fraud, corporate false accounting, and other SEC violations and CFTC violations, to expose the fraud and corruption.  These new whistleblower reward laws offer large financial rewards and whistleblower protections for persons including international whistleblowers that qualify and expose significant fraud and corruption.

Statement on the Application of Insider Trading Law to Trading by Members of Congress and Their Staffs

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are offering large financial rewards and bounties to International Whistleblowers that properly expose international hedge fund fraud, international securities fraud, corporate false accounting, government official bribes, and corruption in the Financial Services Industry.

Insider trading has long been a high priority for the Commission. Approximately eight percent of the 650 average annual number of enforcement cases filed by the Commission in the past decade have been for insider trading violations. In the past two years, the Commission has been particularly active in this area. In fiscal year 2010, the SEC brought 53 insider trading cases against 138 individuals and entities, a 43 percent increase in the number of filed cases from the prior fiscal year. This past fiscal year, the Commission filed 57 actions against 124 individuals and entities, a nearly 8 percent increase over the number of filed cases in fiscal year 2010.

The increased number of insider trading cases has been matched by an increase in the quality and significance of our recent cases. In fiscal year 2011 and the early part of fiscal year 2012, the SEC obtained judgments in 18 actions arising out of its investigation of Galleon hedge fund founder Raj Rajaratnam, including a record $92.8 million civil penalty against Rajaratnam personally. The SEC also discovered and developed information that ultimately led to criminal convictions of Rajaratnam and others, including corporate executives and hedge fund managers, for rampant insider trading. In addition, we recently filed an insider trading action against Rajat Gupta, a former director of both Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble, whom we allege provided confidential Board information about both companies’ quarterly earnings and about an impending $5 billion Berkshire Hathaway investment in Goldman Sachs to Rajaratnam, who traded on that information.

Among others charged in SEC insider trading cases in the past fiscal year were various hedge fund managers and traders involved in a $30 million expert networking trading scheme, a former Nasdaq Managing Director, a former Major League Baseball player, a Food and Drug Administration chemist, and a former corporate attorney and a Wall Street trader who traded in advance of mergers involving clients of the attorney’s law firm. The SEC also brought insider trading cases charging a Goldman Sachs employee and his father with trading on confidential information learned by the employee on the firm’s ETF desk, and charging a corporate board member of a major energy company and his son for trading on confidential information about the impending takeover of the company.

The SEC Is Offering Large Financial Bounties For Whistleblowers That Properly Expose Executive Insider Trading, Hedge Fund Insider Trading, Private Equity Fund Fraud, Money Manger Insider Trades, Hedge Fund Manager Illegal Trading, Stock Manipulation Schemes, and Other Violations of Securities Law by Hedge Fund Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer, Private Equity Fund Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer, Stock Manipulation Scheme Whistleblower Lawyer, & Executive Illegal Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer

The SEC Is Offering Large Financial Bounties For Whistleblowers That Properly Expose Executive Insider Trading, Hedge Fund Insider Trading, Private Equity Fund Fraud, Money Manger Insider Trades, Hedge Fund Manager Illegal Trading, Stock Manipulation Schemes, and Other Violations of Securities Law by Hedge Fund  Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer, Private Equity Fund Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer, Stock Manipulation Scheme Whistleblower Lawyer, & Executive Illegal Insider Trade Whistleblower Lawyer Jason Coomer

The SEC is offering large financial bounties to insider trade whistleblowers that expose executive insider trading, hedge fund insider trading, private equity fund fraud, money manger insider trading, hedge fund manager illegal trading, stock manipulation schemes, and other violations of securities law.  These insider trading whistleblower rewards can be obtained by financial professionals with knowledge of illegal insider trading and other SEC violations.  The SEC encourages all financial professionals with original knowledge of executive insider trades, hedge fund insider trades, private equity fund fraud, false misleading information on a company's financial statements, false information on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, stock manipulation schemes; embezzlement by stockbrokers; and other securities fraud to properly expose the violations.  

For many financial professionals, it can be a difficult decision to step forward to expose executive insider trades, hedge fund insider trades, private equity fund fraud, false misleading information on a company's financial statements, false information on Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, stock manipulation schemes; embezzlement by stockbrokers; and other securities fraud.  To protect these professionals, confidentiality safeguards have been put in place that allow the financial professional whistleblower to blow the whistle on securities fraud through an attorney.  

Dueling Portrayals of Former Goldman Director at Insider Trading Trial - NYTimes.com

Mr. Gupta, a former director of Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble, stands accused of leaking boardroom secrets about those two companies to his friend and business associate Raj Rajaratnam, the convicted former money manager who ran the Galleon Group, once one of the world’s largest hedge funds.  The government depicted Mr. Gupta, a resident of Westport, Conn., as the ultimate insider who, after running the elite consulting firm McKinsey & Company, joined the boards of Goldman and P.& G. As a director, he was privy to these companies’ most closely guarded secrets.

“Gupta threw away his duties, threw away his responsibilities and broke the law,” Mr. Brodsky said.
Mr. Brodsky emphasized the ties between Mr. Gupta and Mr. Rajaratnam, who began doing business together during the middle of the last decade. Mr. Gupta invested in Galleon’s funds, and the two helped start a $1 billion private equity fund together.

“Together they offered each other far more than they could achieve individually,” said Mr. Brodsky.

International Whistleblowers Are Receiving Large Rewards for Exposing Government Procurement Bribe Schemes and other Government Corruption by International Government Procurement Bribe Whistleblower Lawyer, International Procurement Contract Bribe Lawyer, and International Procurement Illegal Kickback Whistleblower Attorney Jason S. Coomer

International Whistleblowers Are Receiving Large Rewards for Exposing Government Procurement Bribe Schemes and other Government Corruption by International Government Procurement Bribe Whistleblower Lawyer, International  Procurement Contract Bribe Lawyer, and International Procurement Illegal Kickback Whistleblower Attorney Jason S. Coomer

Worldwide government purchasing or government procurement is estimated to be over $10 Trillion each year.  Of this large amount of government purchasing, it is estimated that as much as 20% may be through illegal bribes, kickbacks, and other illicit payments.  Government procurement spending includes military spending; public works projects; public health care (pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, & hospitals); ports, transportation, & roads; mining and oil extraction; power grid and stations; education; law enforcement; and sanitation services.  Because of the vast amount of money spent by governments on government procurement, there are many different types of government procurement illegal bribery schemes, illegal kickback schemes, and other illicit payment schemes that have been created to steal money from the public at the expense of a country's citizens.

International Executives, Government Officials, Employees of International Corrupt Corporations, Competitors of Corrupt International Corporations, Foreign Nationals, and other Persons With Original Source Knowledge of International Procurement Bribes Can Be Eligible for Foreign Corrupt Practices Whistleblower Rewards by Government Procurement Bribe Lawyer, Procurement Contract Bribe Lawyer, and Procurement Illegal Kickback Whistleblower Lawyer Jason S. Coomer

International government procurement whistleblowers can recover large amounts of money for exposing international government procurement kickback schemes, international government bribery schemes, and other violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.  Some types of these international government procurement illegal bribery schemes, international illegal kickback schemes, and other international illicit payment schemes are discussed in more detail below.

International executives, government officials, employees of international corrupt corporations, competitors of corrupt international corporations, and other persons, who are the original source of specialized knowledge of international government procurement bribes, international public works illegal kickback schemes, public health system procurement bribery schemes, and other illicit payments are encouraged to blow the whistle on international government procurement schemes and may be able to collect large financial rewards for exposing the corruption.