Broker-dealer Nationwide Planning Associates and two affiliated investment advisers impeded potential whistleblowers from reporting misconduct to the Securities and Exchange Commission and have agreed to settle the charges for a combined $240,000.
Whistleblowers
Posted inRisk Management
Note from the editor: I’m joining Compliance Week as editor-in-chief
New Compliance Week Editor-In-Chief Ian Sherr shares his thoughts on where compliance is headed as businesses meet the realities of not just following the rules, but staying ahead of the pace of regulatory change at a global scale.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
DOJ orders LA to pay $38M over filing false claims for HUD grants
Los Angeles will pay more than $38 million to resolve allegations, first brought by two whistleblower, that for a decade the city knowingly shut people with disabilities out of affordable housing created through federal funds, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Two pairs of whistleblowers claim separate SEC awards totaling $122M
Two pairs of claimants will receive whistleblower awards totaling more than $98 million and $24 million, respectively, for information they provided to the Securities and Exchange Commission that led to an enforcement action.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
DOJ joins compliance officers in lawsuit over Georgia Tech cyber lapses
The Department of Justice joined a whistleblower lawsuit filed by two former Georgia Tech compliance officers who alleged that the institute violated the False Claims Act by knowingly failing to meet cybersecurity requirements in a Department of Defense contract.
Posted inEthics & Culture
U.K. whistleblower protections, awards needed to compensate ‘career suicide’
Discrimination against whistleblowers in the U.K. has risen to such a level that the government may need to actively pursue plans to afford greater legal protection, as well as introduce financial awards to compensate for their “career suicide.”
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Hospice agency Intrepid USA to pay $3.8M over false claims to Medicare
Home health and hospice agency Intrepid USA agreed to pay $3.8 million to settle allegations, first brought by four whistleblowers, that its facilities billed Medicare for services patients were not qualified to receive, according to the Department of Justice.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
DOJ orders apparel importer Alexis to pay $7.7M over underpaid customs duties
Women’s apparel importer Alexis agreed to pay nearly $7.7 million to settle allegations, first raised by a whistleblower, that it intentionally underpaid customs duties, according to the Department of Justice.
Posted inRegulatory Enforcement
Avantor agrees to pay $5.3M to settle false claims, chemicals reporting violations
Laboratory supply company Avantor agreed to pay $5.3 million to settle allegations, first brought by a whistleblower, that it overcharged four federal agencies and failed to comply with chemical regulations, the Department of Justice said.
Posted inAnti-Bribery
Game-changing DOJ pilot whistleblower program panned by critics
The Department of Justice released the details of its long-awaited corporate whistleblower awards pilot program that will prioritize reporting in areas of corporate crime not currently covered by existing whistleblower programs.
