Other Fraud That Constitutes Violations of the False Claims Act

There are many other types of fraud that can constitute a violation of the False Claims Act. Indeed, there are a multitude of schemes that are used to defraud the government.

If a company has intentionally enacted a scheme that involves fraudulent conduct and thecompany profits thereby, it is likely a violation of the False Claims Act. Some other common examples of fraud against the government include:

Procurement Fraud

Many federal and state government projects and products are awarded to private companies through a competitive bid process. With limited exceptions, this is required by law.

Procurement fraud is committed when some type of scheme is implemented to improperly manipulate this bid and award system. For example, if competing bidders on a project improperly collaborate to drive up the bid price, this constitutes a violation of the False Claims Act. Likewise, bribes or kickbacks to obtain a bid constitute illegal fraud. Submitting false information to the government to drive up a bid price or bills is also an illegal act that violates the False Claims Act.

Financial Services and Mortgage Fraud

There are numerous actions that can be taken to defraud the government within the financial services and mortgage industries. For example, a company may falsely inflate the values of a property or the financial status of a borrower. In this case, the Federal Housing Authority (FHA) or Veterans Administration (VA) may be damaged. This could be the result of fraudulent conduct on the behalf of an appraiser, loan officer or originator, or other party.

Nursing Home and Hospice Fraud

Nursing home and hospice care facilities have historically worked closely together. As hospice care has grown into a profitable industry, many businesses have begun to care less about the people and more about their profits. This has resulted sometimes in hospice care providers offering illegal kickbacks to nursing homes in exchange for the referral of hospice care patients. This is an illegal violation of the False Claims Act.

Education and Grant Fraud

For-profit education has grown into a very profitable industry. This has sometimes resulted in hard sell tactics by educational institutions to obtain students.

Many schools accept government financial aid through Title IV, Higher Education Act programs. Schools that accept federal financial aid may not provide any commission, bonus, or other incentive payment based in any part upon success in securing enrollments or the award of financial aid, to any person or entity who is engaged in any student recruitment or admission activity, or in making decisions regarding the award of title IV, HEA program funds. Any contrary conduct is a violation of the False Claims Act.

It is also a violation of the False Claims Act to receive federal grant money fraudulently. Government grants have reporting requirements to ensure that money was spent as intended. Manipulations of these reports constitute a violation. For example, false reporting of hours, salaries or material costs or other expenses would violate the False Claims Act.

As you can see, fraud can take many different forms. False Claims Act litigation is complex, which is why it is crucial to enlist the services of an experienced whistleblower lawyer to protect your rights. Find out how our Anti Fraud Law Group can help by scheduling a free, confidential consultation online or by calling (800) 898-5192 today. Our firm accepts cases nationwide from our office in Williamsburg VA, Virginia.