Find Corporate Waste

Tag: DOJ

  • Massachusetts Man Admits to Taking Nearly $88K in Stolen Social Security Benefits

    Massachusetts Man Admits to Taking Nearly $88K in Stolen Social Security Benefits

    A former Haverhill, Massachusetts resident has pleaded guilty to receiving stolen government money after collecting approximately $87,817 in Social Security disability benefits that continued to be paid following the death of the intended beneficiary.  

    According to the  U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts⁠, Christopher D. Leon, 56, admitted to receiving stolen government funds from November 2019 through August 2025. Prosecutors said Leon was living with the beneficiary when she died and later received a Social Security award notice mailed to his address. After benefits began flowing into the deceased beneficiary’s bank account, Leon allegedly used her debit card to make monthly ATM withdrawals.  

    Leon pleaded guilty on June 10, 2026, to one count of receiving stolen government money or property. Sentencing is scheduled for September 23, 2026. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss.  

    The case was investigated by the Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General and prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts.  

    For Find Corporate Waste, the case is another reminder that federal benefit programs remain vulnerable to improper payments long after a recipient’s death, creating ongoing taxpayer exposure when safeguards fail.

  • DOJ Sues to Stop Alleged Fraud in New York’s $10 Billion Medicaid Home-Care Program

    DOJ Sues to Stop Alleged Fraud in New York’s $10 Billion Medicaid Home-Care Program

    The Department of Justice⁠ filed suit in the Eastern District of New York against the New York State Department of Health, New York Medicaid Director Amir Bassiri, and Public Partnerships LLC over alleged fraud involving New York’s $10 billion Consumer Directed Personal Assistant Program, known as CDPAP.

    CDPAP is a Medicaid home-care program for patients with disabilities or significant medical needs.

    According to the DOJ, in 2024, New York consolidated hundreds of fiscal intermediaries into a single statewide administrator, ultimately awarding the contract to Public Partnerships LLC.

    The DOJ alleges that New York awarded PPL the CDPAP contract through a “sham bid process,” then failed to stop PPL from deviating from the financial limits and representations contained in its bid.

    The lawsuit⁠ also claims PPL and New York misled the public about whether the transition could be completed by April 1, 2025, despite allegedly knowing the timeline was unlikely to be met.

    The complaint alleges that CDPAP served more than 250,000 patients and 300,000 caregivers as of fall 2024. DOJ says the program bills approximately 350 million hours of care each year, meaning even small improper rate changes could generate tens of millions of dollars in unauthorized revenue.

    For Find Corporate Waste⁠, the case reflects the core oversight problem in federally funded health-care programs: public money can be lost not only through false claims, but also through weak contract enforcement, eligibility failures, and unchecked administrative control over taxpayer-funded payment streams.

  • Seven Men Arrested in $205K COVID Relief Fraud Case

    Seven Men Arrested in $205K COVID Relief Fraud Case

    Federal prosecutors announced that seven Las Vegas men have been arrested and indicted in connection with allegedly fraudulent COVID-19 relief loan applications.

    According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada⁠, the defendants are accused of submitting false information and fake documentation to obtain funds through the Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The alleged fraudulent proceeds totaled $205,639.

    The defendants named by DOJ are Elias Santino Acereto, Sheyland Juakeen Barnett, James Sean Freeman II, Yves Garry Harrison-Pierre, Tyrone Tatrice Johnson, Marcus Dushun McMillian-Bonner, and Nathan Jeffry Scott. Six defendants were charged with one count of wire fraud, while Freeman was charged with two counts.

    The SBA Office of Inspector General⁠ said the arrests followed coordinated law enforcement actions in Nevada, Arizona, and Texas involving the FBI, SBA-OIG, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and North Las Vegas Police Department.

    For Find Corporate Waste⁠, the case is another reminder that COVID-era relief enforcement remains active. Even smaller-dollar PPP and EIDL cases can expose broader weaknesses in application screening, identity verification, and post-payment review.

  • Utah Men Charged in Alleged $5.5M IRS and SBA COVID-Relief Fraud Scheme

    Utah Men Charged in Alleged $5.5M IRS and SBA COVID-Relief Fraud Scheme

    Federal prosecutors have charged two Provo, Utah men in an alleged scheme to defraud the IRS and the Small Business Administration out of more than $5.5 million tied to COVID-era relief programs.

    According to the SBA Office of Inspector General⁠, David Starling, 61, and Benjamin Young, 39, were charged with conspiring to defraud the United States. Young was also charged with twelve counts of wire fraud. A third defendant, Adam Starling of Oregon, previously pleaded guilty.

    The government alleges the defendants owned or controlled eight companies and falsely listed family members — including spouses and children — as employees. Prosecutors say they created false tax documents reporting more than $4 million in wages, then used those documents to obtain COVID-relief benefits.

    The alleged proceeds included $3 million in tax credits and $200,000 in Paycheck Protection Program loans, which were later forgiven based on alleged false statements.

    The case also includes a separate SBA-backed loan angle. Prosecutors allege Young used fraud proceeds and embezzled funds to buy commercial space in Provo, then relied on fabricated documents to obtain a $2.5 million SBA-secured bank loan.

    For Find Corporate Waste⁠, this case is another reminder that COVID-relief enforcement is not just about the original loan. It is about payroll records, forgiveness certifications, tax filings, affiliated entities, and the paper trail behind taxpayer-backed money.

  • Former Intelligence Contractor Pleads Guilty in Kickback Scheme

    Former Intelligence Contractor Pleads Guilty in Kickback Scheme

    A former Intelligence Community contractor pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit offenses against the United States after admitting that he solicited and accepted illegal kickbacks tied to government procurement.

    According to the DOJ⁠, David Duggin, 55, of Orrtanna, Pennsylvania, was a former senior systems engineer and on-site contractor at a U.S. government Intelligence Community agency. Prosecutors said Duggin and co-conspirators used his on-site access to sensitive information to help obtain government contracts for millions of dollars of hardware and software purchased by U.S. government customers.  

    The DOJ said Duggin received at least $510,000 in illegal kickbacks in exchange for influencing the procurement process to favor his co-conspirators. The alleged conspiracy began at least as early as June 2018 and continued through at least April 2024.  

    The case is being investigated by the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and the FBI Baltimore Field Office, with prosecutors from the Antitrust Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland. The DOJ also highlighted the Procurement Collusion Strike Force⁠, which targets bid rigging, price fixing, market allocation, and related fraud affecting government spending.

    For Find Corporate Waste⁠, the case is another reminder that taxpayer-funded procurement fraud often depends on insiders, access, and certification-driven trust. 

  • North Carolina Woman Charged in Immigration and VA Disability Fraud Case

    North Carolina Woman Charged in Immigration and VA Disability Fraud Case

    The DOJ announced that Britney Sherene Curry, 26, of Charlotte, North Carolina, was indicted in the Western District of Missouri for conspiracy to commit immigration fraud, false statements under oath on immigration documents, unlawfully procuring citizenship, mail fraud, and wire fraud.

    According to the DOJ, Curry is a Jamaican national who entered the United States on a six-month B-2 visa in 2015 and allegedly never left. Prosecutors claim she paid a third party to arrange a fraudulent marriage with a U.S. citizen to obtain immigration benefits. The DOJ alleges Curry and her husband first met on the day of the marriage and never lived together.

    The alleged scheme later reached federal benefit payments. After becoming a lawful permanent resident, Curry joined the U.S. Army, applied for naturalization, and later received VA disability compensation. Prosecutors allege she claimed her husband as a dependent for VA disability purposes, increasing her monthly benefit, despite allegedly never living with him and not seeing him after she enlisted.

    The case was investigated by DHS-OIG, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations, USCIS, VA-OIG, and Army CID. The DOJ noted that VA disability payments passed through Treasury Payment Operations in Kansas City, Missouri.

    The indictment is only an accusation, and Curry is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

    For Find Corporate Waste, the case is another reminder that federal benefit programs depend on truthful eligibility claims. Whether the program is immigration, veterans benefits, PPP, PRF, or federal contracting, the core issue is the same: public money moves when applicants certify facts that agencies rely on. When those facts are allegedly false, taxpayer funds become recoverable exposure.

  • Circle Medical to Pay $3.325M Over Alleged False Healthcare Claims

    Circle Medical to Pay $3.325M Over Alleged False Healthcare Claims

    San Francisco-based Circle Medical Care of California, Circle Medical Technologies, Inc., and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nicole Tsang, D.O., agreed to pay $3,325,000 to resolve allegations that they submitted false claims to federal healthcare programs and California commercial insurers.

    According to the DOJ⁠, Circle operates an online telehealth platform offering mental health and primary care services through contract providers, including nurse practitioners and physician assistants. The government alleged that from January 1, 2018 through May 31, 2025, Circle submitted claims using the names and NPI numbers of rendering providers who did not actually provide or supervise the services billed. The claims allegedly involved programs including Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE.  

    The settlement allocates $475,000 to the United States and $2.85 million to California. The matter began as a qui tam whistleblower case filed by Jason Vellen, who will receive $80,750 from the federal recovery and $997,500 from California.  

    This case fits the broader Find Corporate Waste focus on healthcare payment integrity: claims data, provider identifiers, supervision rules, and federal program billing requirements can expose recoverable taxpayer losses. 

  • Ahold Delhaize USA to Pay $40M Over Allegedly Inflated Pharmacy Prices

    Ahold Delhaize USA to Pay $40M Over Allegedly Inflated Pharmacy Prices

    Ahold Delhaize USA Inc.⁠, the parent company behind supermarket pharmacy brands including Giant, Hannaford, Stop & Shop, Food Lion, and others, has agreed to pay $40 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations involving prescription drug pricing.

    According to the DOJ⁠, Ahold Delhaize allegedly reported inflated “usual and customary” prices on claims submitted to Medicare Part D, Medicaid, and TRICARE. Prosecutors said the company operated prescription savings programs that offered discounted prices to enrolled customers, but allegedly failed to report those discounted prices as the pharmacies’ usual and customary prices.

    That distinction matters because usual and customary prices can operate as ceiling prices in federal health care reimbursement formulas. The government alleged that by reporting higher prices, Ahold Delhaize caused federal health care programs to pay more than they should have paid on pharmacy claims.

    Of the $40 million settlement, $32.9 million represents the federal share, with the remainder going to participating states.

    The case began as a whistleblower action filed by Lawrence LaBenne, a Pennsylvania pharmacist at an Ahold Delhaize supermarket.

    He will receive $6,083,587 from the federal recovery.

    The settlement is another example of how pricing representations, claim-level billing data, and insider knowledge drive many False Claims Act recoveries.

    For Find Corporate Waste⁠, the case fits the broader enforcement pattern: federal programs rely on accurate certifications and truthful claim data, and public money can be recovered when those representations are allegedly false.

  • Maryland Man Gets 9 Years for EIDL Money Laundering Scheme

    Maryland Man Gets 9 Years for EIDL Money Laundering Scheme

    A Maryland man was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for helping launder fraud proceeds tied to Economic Injury Disaster Loans and other schemes, according to the DOJ.

    Bright Boateng, 45, of Bladensburg, was also ordered to pay $1,247,950 in restitution and forfeit $431,750. Prosecutors said Boateng admitted that nearly $1.5 million in laundering occurred through his direct role in the conspiracy.

    The DOJ said the scheme ran from 2020 through November 2023 and involved shell companies, bank accounts opened in those entities’ names, stolen identity information, and transactions designed to conceal fraud proceeds. Boateng allegedly received money from at least seven EIDL loans and used a fake Maryland driver’s license bearing his photo with another person’s information.

    The broader case charged 14 defendants, 13 of whom have pleaded guilty. The prosecution involved HSI, IRS-CI, EPA-OIG, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.

    For Find Corporate Waste, the case shows how pandemic-relief fraud often continued after funds were approved, with shell entities and false identity documents used to move and hide taxpayer money.

    Anyone with inside knowledge of EIDL fraud, shell-company laundering, stolen-identity bank accounts, or pandemic-relief funds routed through false entities may have information relevant to public-fraud enforcement.

  • Brooklyn Clinic Manager Convicted in $8M Medicare Fraud Scheme

    Brooklyn Clinic Manager Convicted in $8M Medicare Fraud Scheme

    A federal jury convicted Olga Popovych, a New York clinic manager, for her role in an $8 million Medicare fraud scheme, according to the DOJ.  

    Prosecutors said Popovych managed several physical therapy clinics that paid cash kickbacks to ambulette drivers who brought Medicare patients to the clinics. The DOJ said she was personally involved in paying the kickbacks and falsifying medical records to claim that physical therapists treated patients when they were not actually present.  

    Between 2018 and 2020, Medicare paid the clinics more than $8 million. Trial witnesses also testified that Popovych used coded text messages to discuss kickbacks and took steps to conceal the scheme after suspecting law enforcement was watching the clinics.  

    The jury convicted Popovych of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to make false statements relating to health care matters, four counts of health care fraud, and three counts of making false statements relating to health care matters.

    She faces up to 10 years for each health care fraud conviction and up to 5 years for each false-statement conviction. A federal judge will determine the sentence under the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.  

    The case was investigated by HHS-OIG and the FBI.

    Anyone with inside knowledge of kickback arrangements, false billing, fabricated medical records, or patient-recruitment schemes involving federal health care programs may have information relevant to public-fraud enforcement.

    Find Corporate Waste protects confidential sources and helps preserve the right to report fraud.