ABA Announces First Antitrust Sentencing Symposium, Robert Connolly on Panel

Cinnaminson, NJ-  With goals of streamlining the antitrust sentencing process while also assessing better ways to achieve deterrence, the ABA has announced its first Antitrust Sentencing Symposium.  Robert Connolly, a chosen board member for the conference, reports on the aims of the symposium in a post from his blog, Cartel Capers:

2016 Antitrust Sentencing Symposium

I am very excited to be a participant at the upcoming 2016 Antitrust Sentencing Symposium at George Mason University School of Law on June 21, 2016 from 8;30 am to 5:00 pm.  Below are just a few of the topics that will be covered by the nation’s leading practitioners and professionals (and me), as well as antitrust enforcers from around the world, to brainstorm the best approaches to drive deterrence with the punishment of antitrust offenses at the first ever ABA Antitrust Sentencing Symposium.

  • Isn’t there a better way to reach the goal of deterrence?
  • Have we reached a tipping point with the size of the fines imposed on corporate antitrust defendants?
  • Are there options to increasingly longer jail sentences for individual antitrust offenders to reach optimal deterrence?
  • Does it continue to make sense to provide for treble damages in follow-on private damage actions where prima facie liability is established?

I am on a panel, Are There Alternatives to Increasingly Longer Jail Sentences for Antitrust Offenders That Would Lead to More Optimal Deterrence? moderated by Kathryn Hellings, partner at Hogan Lovells LLP, and includes Judge Douglas H. Ginsburg of the DC Circuit Court of Appeals and Brent Snyder, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Enforcement, Antitrust Division, USDOJ. The full roster of faculty can be found here.

My contribution to the symposium will be a paper arguing that the ABA Antitrust Section should form a task force to study guideline reform, mirrored along the lines of the Criminal Justice Section Task Force on the Reform of Federal Sentencing for Economic Crimes.  I believe the current antitrust sentencing guidelines for individuals, departed from at a rate approaching 100%, are an impediment to optimal deterrence.  I hope the discussions at the Symposium will generate follow-up study to reform the United States Sentencing Guidelines for Antitrust Offenses. U.S.S.G 2R1.1.

You can register for the event here.  The program is quite a bargain.  It is free for ABA Antitrust Section members and includes 6.25 CLE credits.  This is the first ever ABA Antitrust Sentencing Symposium and your participation and input would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

Original link to Robert Connolly’s post

Cartel Capers blog

Greentech Inc, OSI Pharmaceuticals Face $67 Million Settlement Fine, $10 Million to Whistleblower

Washington, D.C.-  Whistleblower Brian Shields of Greentech Inc. ignites investigations of Greentech Inc (San Francisco, CA) and OSI Pharmaceuticals LLC (Farmingdale, NY) following exposure of information into False Claims Act violations.  Both companies are alleged to have skewed reports of efficacy for anti-lung cancer drug Tarceva for the sake of kickback profit.  The two companies are now facing a $67 million settlement fee, $10 million of which will be rewarded to whistleblower Shields in accordance to SEC’s whistleblower program.

The original article is reproduced below with its link following.

 

Pharmaceutical Companies to Pay $67 Million To Resolve False Claims Act Allegations Relating to Tarceva

Pharmaceutical companies Genentech Inc. and OSI Pharmaceuticals LLC will pay $67 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that they made misleading statements about the effectiveness of the drug Tarceva to treat non-small cell lung cancer, the Department of Justice announced today.  Genentech, located in South San Francisco, California, and OSI Pharmaceuticals, located in Farmingdale, New York, co-promote Tarceva, which is approved to treat certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer or pancreatic cancer.  OSI Pharmaceuticals LLC is the successor to OSI Pharmaceuticals Inc., which was acquired by Astellas Holding US Inc. in 2010 and converted to a limited liability company in 2011.

“Pharmaceutical companies have a responsibility to provide accurate information to patients and health care providers about their prescription drugs,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.  “The Department of Justice will hold those companies accountable that mislead the public about the efficacy of their products.”

The settlement resolves allegations that, between January 2006 and December 2011,  Genentech and OSI Pharmaceuticals made misleading representations to physicians and other health care providers about the effectiveness of Tarceva to treat certain patients with non-small cell lung cancer, when there was little evidence to show that Tarceva was effective to treat those patients unless they also had never smoked or had a mutation in their epidermal growth factor receptor, which is a protein involved in the growth and spread of cancer cells.

As a result of today’s $67 million settlement, the federal government will receive $62.6 million and state Medicaid programs will receive $4.4 million.  The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments.

“This settlement demonstrates the government’s unwavering commitment to pursue violations of the False Claims Act and recover taxpayer dollars spent as a result of misleading marketing campaigns,” said U.S. Attorney Brian Stretch for the Northern District of California.

“Pharmaceutical companies that make misleading or unsubstantiated statements about their products can put patients at risk,” said Deputy Commissioner Howard R. Sklamberg for FDA’s global regulatory operations and policy. “The FDA will continue to work to protect the public’s health by ensuring that companies do not mislead healthcare providers about their products.”

“Drug manufacturers that make misleading claims about their product’s effectiveness can jeopardize the health of patients – in this case, cancer patients,” said Special Agent in Charge Steven J. Ryan for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).  “Our agency will continue to protect both patients and taxpayers by holding those who engage in such practices accountable for their actions.”

The settlement resolves allegations filed in a lawsuit by former Genentech employee Brian Shields, in federal court in San Francisco.  The lawsuit was filed under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act, which permit private individuals to sue on behalf of the government for false claims and to share in any recovery.  Shields will receive approximately $10 million.

This settlement illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud and marks another achievement for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) initiative, which was announced in May 2009 by the Attorney General and the Secretary of Health and Human Services.  The partnership between the two departments has focused efforts to reduce and prevent Medicare and Medicaid financial fraud through enhanced cooperation.  One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act.  Since January 2009, the Justice Department has recovered a total of more than $29.8 billion through False Claims Act cases, with more than $18.2 billion of that amount recovered in cases involving fraud against federal health care programs.

The settlement is the result of a coordinated effort by the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California, with assistance from the HHS-OIG, the HHS Office of Counsel to the Inspector General, the HHS Office of the General Counsel-CMS Division, the FDA’s Office Chief Counsel, the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations, the Office of the Inspector General for the Office of Personnel Management, the FBI, the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General, the Office of the General Counsel for the Defense Health Agency and the National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

The case is captioned United States ex rel. Shields v. Genentech, Inc., et al., Case No.  CV 11 0822 MEJ (N.D. Ca.).  The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

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Fourth Individual in NYPA Big-Rigging Scandal Comes Forward, Faces up to Three Years and $250,000

Washington, D.C.-  The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has recently come under multilateral investigation over allegations of bid rigging, tax fraud, and market fixture.  The DOJ, IRS, and New York Inspector General are all working jointly in this case and have subsequently made their fourth indivdual charge.  John Simonlacaj (White Plains, NY) has confessed to aiding the NYPA in filing false tax returns and now faces up to three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The original article is reproduced below with its link following.

 

Fourth Individual Charged in Ongoing New York Power Authority Procurement Fraud Investigation

The Department of Justice, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the New York State Inspector General, which are all conducting a joint federal and state investigation into bid-rigging, fraud and tax-related offenses in the award of contracts at the New York Power Authority (NYPA), announced today that a Westchester County, New York, resident pleaded guilty today to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return.

According to the one-count felony charge filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, in White Plains, New York, John Simonlacaj caused another individual to file a Form 1040 for the tax year 2010 that substantially understated that individual’s taxable income.  Simonlacaj pleaded guilty to aiding and assisting in the filing of a false tax return, which carries a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

“Our investigation into bid rigging and fraud by companies supplying the New York Power Authority has uncovered a variety of criminal activity,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Renata Hesse, head of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division.  “Filing a false tax return is a serious offense and we are pleased to have worked with our partners in law enforcement to prosecute the criminal violation.”

“We say many times the FBI won’t stop until we find everyone responsible for their roles in a criminal investigation,” said Assistant Director in Charge Diego Rodriguez of the FBI’s New York Field Office.  “These charges prove our tenacity in digging until we hit the bottom of the pile and uncover anyone who had a part in criminal wrongdoing.”

“Today’s plea marks yet another defendant admitting guilt following a bid rigging investigation that began at the state level. My office and those of my federal law enforcement partners, will continue to follow the evidence wherever it may lead,” said New York State Inspector General Catherine Leahy Scott.

“Mr. Simonlacaj is now held accountable for his role in filing a false tax return,” said Special Agent in Charge Shantelle P. Kitchen of the IRS Criminal Investigation New York Field Office.  “Towards pursuing its goal of ensuring that that everyone pays their fair share of taxes, IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to this ongoing investigation.”

The investigation is being conducted by the Antitrust Division’s New York Office with the assistance of the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the New York State Office of the Inspector General.  NYPA is cooperating with the investigation.  Anyone with information on bid rigging or other anticompetitive conducted related to the award or performance of municipal and state contracts should contact the Antitrust Division’s Citizen Complaint Center at 888-647-3258 or visit http://www.just

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