By: Sara Kropf This is the one of my recurring posts that offer quick summaries of similar cases. Think of them as the Kay and Peele version of my blog posts, though not nearly as funny and always safe for work. It is the oldest (white collar) trick in the...
By: Sara Kropf The Justice Department’s efforts to crack down on fraud against the government over the last few years have been tremendous. DOJ’s effort is not just on the criminal front but also through aggressive use of the False Claims Act on the civil side. ...
By: Sara Kropf Disclaimer: I wrote this post because I’m hoping that any time someone types “paddlefish caviar” into a search engine, this blog will get a hit. Also, I’ve managed to fit in a reference to the B-52's, so it’s a win-win. The federal government has...
By: Sara Kropf On June 11, a Tampa jury found four former executives of WellCare Health Plans Inc. guilty of several charges, including health care fraud and making false statements to a law enforcement officer. The verdict came at the end of a trial lasting several...
By: Sara Kropf The president and the general counsel of an Idaho corporation recently pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit securities fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud and bank fraud. Douglas Swenson was the president of DBSI Housing, Inc. and Mark...
By: Sara Kropf Two Tampa businessmen, Duane Crithfield and Stephen Donaldson, Sr., were indicted for conspiracy to commit tax fraud, based on an allegedly fraudulent tax strategy for affluent clients. The defendants have not yet entered pleas. Are the "affluent...
By: Sara Kropf This is one of this blog's recurring posts that offer quick summaries of similar cases. Think of them as the Kay and Peele version of my blog posts, though not nearly as funny and always safe for work. According to the EPA’s website, the agency has: 200...
By: Sara Kropf Karen Galo may have been trying to help out a friend, but now she faces five years in prison. In early 2008, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida opened a grand jury investigation into mortgage fraud and money laundering. The...
By: Sara Kropf As many of you know, Lois Lerner, the head of the IRS division on tax-exempt organizations, testified before Congress this week. However, the media coverage has not focused on what she said as much as what she ended up not saying. Ms. Lerner invoked her...
By: Sara Kropf On May 20, 2013, Judge Kurt Engelhardt of the Eastern District of Louisiana dismissed the obstruction charge in the indictment against David Rainey, a former vice president at BP involved in the Deepwater Horizon spill. The 44-page decision dismissed...