On the issue of continuing 8 (a) certification ans suspension due to business integrity issues, on August 14, 2013, the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) issued a Notice of Suspension to Wichita Tribal Enterprises, LLC (“WTE”). The SBA’s Notice of Suspension from the 8 (a) certification program said that WTE could… Read more »
Anti Kickback Statute Resolving Challenges of Fraud and Penalties The Federal Anti-Kickback Statute, cf. 42 USC1320a-7b(b), is a criminal law making it a felony to knowingly and willfully offer, pay, solicit, or receive remuneration, directly or indirectly, in order to induce business that is reimbursable under any federal healthcare program,… Read more »
The Federal False Claims Act 31 USC 3729 is used by federal law enforcement agents to investigate, charge and convict small businesses and large federal contractors. Learning to combat these charges up front is critical to avoiding criminal charges or hefty civil fines during false claims and qui tam litigation…. Read more »
When looking at the government contract process for submitting claims, or you decide to file claims against the federal government, there are certain best practices and approaches that you must adhere to. Failure to follow them can tempt the Contracting Officer (CO) to try to negotiate the actual amount downwards or it… Read more »
The Department of Justice, while enforcing statutory False Claims Act penalties, obtained more than $4.7 billion in settlements and judgments from civil cases involving reporting fraud and false claims against the government in the fiscal year 2016 ending Sept. 30. See announcement here. Prime contractors and subcontractors performing on federal… Read more »
On the issue of False Claims Act liability, there are varying opinions about the liability of the main contractor for a subcontractor. The bottom line is that both prime contractors and independent contractors can be liable under the Federal False Claims Act. The DOJ and various agency IG offices have… Read more »