The federal health care anti-kickback statute states that a person must act willfully in order to violate the statute. Traditionally, willfulness has been defined as violating a known legal duty. Applied to federal health care fraud criminal cases, one only […]
A federal law called the anti-kickback statute prohibits the payment or receipt of monies for the referral of business that is paid for by a federal health care benefit program. The central focus of the anti-kickback statute is on the […]
Federal law enforcement is investigating compound pharmacists. As a result, federal prosecutors are more frequently charging pharmacists with violating several laws, most commonly, the anti-kickback statute and the health care fraud statute. The typical federal investigation focuses on three players: […]
Several Houston-area doctors have recently been indicted for conspiring to commit Medicare fraud. The essence of the government’s case is that the doctors illegally qualified Medicare beneficiaries for services that were either medically unnecessary or not provided at all. All […]
A recent appeal stemming from a refinery fire demonstrates just how vulnerable individual defendants can be in an environmental crimes case. United States v. Citgo Pet roleum, et al involved the 1997 explosion and fire at the Citgo Refinery in Corpus […]
If you receive a federal grand jury target letter, it is important to understand its implications. This is not a document to be taken lightly, and could have serious repercussions for you and your life if dealt with improperly. What […]
Most people are familiar with the idea of “knock-offs” – those products which look like the original but are not, in fact, authentic. The sale of counterfeit items is illegal, and an individual charged with trademark infringement can face severe […]
Last week I finished a most interesting case and one which took me on the least expected and most extraordinary adventure of my life. My client, a delightful and bright man from Kenya, was accused along with sever of his […]
International, Federal and State law enforcement agencies have combined efforts to combat the production, distribution and possession of child pornography. Because of this, it is important to understand the differences between being charged with possession of child pornography, or distribution […]
These days, environmental crime charges are taken very seriously, and often carry weighty penalties that can permanently disrupt your life or your business. As a result, it is important that you understand exactly what environmental crime charges entail and how […]