Posted on 03/12/2012 3:13:09 PM PDT by don-o
A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Texas knowingly sent in about $6 million in false claims to Medicaid and took steps to cover up its acts, says a federal "whistleblower" lawsuit that was unsealed Friday.
Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast submitted more than 87,000 reimbursement claims for services that were "false, fraudulent, and/or ineligible," said the lawsuit filed by Abby K. Johnson on behalf of the United States and the state of Texas in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas in Houston.
Ms. Johnson is a former director of one of the clinics and had "system-wide" access to patient records and billing activities for about two years.
Ms. Johnson, who became a pro-life activist after viewing an ultrasound and has converted to Catholicism, said Friday she filed the lawsuit under the federal False Claims Act in 2009 "to simply expose Planned Parenthood and expose their corruption, and expose what they are doing with American tax dollars."
"Everyone, no matter what you think about abortion, should be interested in where our money is going and how it is being spent," Ms. Johnson said. "As someone who saw the inside of this and saw the fraudulent billing and the fraudulent claims, I felt like I had a duty, and it was necessary for me to come forward with this information."
The lawsuit was kept under seal until Friday, when U.S. District Judge Kenneth Hoyt made it public.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Abby Johnson rocks!
“Nothing to see here folks. Move along. Hey look! Is that a squirrel?”
Planned Parenthood's defense: "Hey, what's a measly 87,000 fraudulent claims? We're a government-subsidized parasite entity, after all, and everyone knows fraud is de rigueur in government agencies."
That was really witty the first 5000 times it was posted. Since then, not so much.
That’s why I added the squirrel part.
I’d like to see Newt use this to show what kind of mess the Democrats do on a daily basis. Give the devil his due - PP does a tremendous job in public relations to the masses. Something like this puts the lie to that carefully crafted image.
Our original desire was to fulfill our fiduciary duty to our donors by not funding grant applications made by organizations under investigation. We will amend the criteria to make clear that disqualifying investigations must be criminal and conclusive in nature and not political. That is what is right and fair.
Statement from Susan G. Komen Board of Directors and Founder and CEO Nancy G. Brinker
So, watch for a conviction, and we'll see how Komen squirms out of it. My guess is that it will be because it is not a criminal case, just civil.
Can a lawyer comment to why it was brought as a civil suit? Is not obtaining money by fraud a criminal matter?
A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Texas knowingly sent in about $6 million in false claims to Medicaid and took steps to cover up its acts, says a federal "whistleblower" lawsuit that was unsealed Friday.
I don’t know, but it looks like Texas and the Federal government had a chance to involve themselves but declined.
Thanks for the ping-out SC
Wouldn’t failure to prosecute a crime also be a, uh, crime?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2857390/posts
Was posted Saturday from a different source - different title - different article
Only the Government can bring criminal charges. Under the False Claims Act, a private-party whistleblower can start a civil suit against someone who defrauded the federal government; if they win, they share the recovery with the government.
Can criminal charges be filed based on evidence produced for a civil trial?
Generally speaking, yes. (Unless the statute of limitations runs while the civil case is ongoing.)
Unless the prosecutor is paid off, no. Police and prosecutors have very broad discretion when to bring criminal charges. Not everybody speeding on the highway gets a ticket; not everybody caught smoking a joint gets prosecuted for drug possession; not everyone whose tax return is audited gets prosecuted for tax evasion.
My pleasure, don-o!
I’d be so thankful if this place got shut down.
I’d be so thankful if this place got shut down.
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