Author: tracyfeldman@gmail.com

You may have heard the phrase qui tam and wondered what it means. Or you may already know exactly what it means — because you’ve witnessed your employer defrauding Medicare, falsifying government contracts, or mislabeling imported goods — and you’ve been quietly researching whether to blow the whistle. Either way, there is a legal earthquake...

When Chuck Borges stepped forward to report what he witnessed inside the Social Security Administration, he was doing exactly what the law asks of federal employees who see wrongdoing: document it, report it through proper channels, and trust the system designed to protect you. That system failed him — at least initially. He lost his...

When the CARES Act was passed in early 2020, its primary vehicle for business support was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). Designed to keep employees on payroll, the program relied on “self-certification” of eligibility—a feature that saved millions of jobs but also invited unprecedented levels of fraud. As of January 16, 2026, the Department of...

Recent court rulings are changing the rules for healthcare whistleblowers, particularly in cases involving “kickbacks”. If you’ve witnessed a system designed to “nudge” doctors toward certain expensive drugs or services, a major new legal decision from 2025—United States v. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals—may impact how those cases are handled. What Happened in the Regeneron Case? The government...

For decades, the False Claims Act (FCA) has been one of the government’s most potent weapons against fraud, driven largely by “qui tam” provisions that allow private whistleblowers (relators) to sue on the government’s behalf. However, a series of recent legal challenges as to the constitutionality of  “qui tam” actions has brought these provisions into question. With the...

The fiscal year 2024 marked a groundbreaking period in the enforcement of the False Claims Act (FCA), with settlements and judgments exceeding $2.9 billion. This milestone highlights the effectiveness of whistleblower efforts and government initiatives in combating fraud and preserving taxpayer dollars. Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney...

In a notable False Claims Act resolution, R&K Enterprises Inc. (R&K), a company based in Newport News, Virginia, has agreed to pay more than $2.6 million to resolve allegations of misrepresenting its eligibility for small business set-aside contracts. This case pointed out opportunities to commit fraud within the programs set up to aid small businesses, showing...

In a significant move to combat the opioid crisis, K-VA-T Food Stores Inc., doing business as Food City, has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. government addressing allegations under the False Claims Act (FCA). The opioid fraud settlement will see Food City pay $8,488,378 to the United States and an additional $78,621 to the...

In a critical development against healthcare fraud, several Southern California-based clinics, a laboratory, and their owners have agreed to pay $10 million to settle allegations of submitting false claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal. The settlement in this case demonstrates the government’s commitment to protecting the integrity of federal healthcare programs and addressing violations involving kickbacks...