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Settlement with Tyson Foods to Address Multiple Releases of Anhydrous Ammonia

The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a Clean Air Act (CAA) settlement with Tyson Foods Inc. and several of its affiliate corporations to address threats of accidental chemical releases after anhydrous ammonia was released during incidents at facilities in Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska, resulting in multiple injuries, property damage and one fatality.



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Southern California Physician and Two Co-Conspirators Found Guilty for Roles in $1.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Southern California physician, a durable medical equipment (DME) supply company employee and a health care professional were found guilty late yesterday by a federal jury in Los Angeles for their roles in a $1.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Former Middle School Employee Sentenced in Texas to 30 Years in Prison for Producing and Distributing Child Pornography

A Texas man was sentenced today to serve 30 years in prison for producing and distributing material relating to the sexual exploitation of children.



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Las Vegas Physician Sentenced for Tax Evasion and Failing to File Income Tax Returns

Robert David Forsyth, of Las Vegas, was sentenced late Friday in U.S. District Court in Las Vegas to 27 months in prison for income tax evasion and failing to file income tax returns.



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Michigan Physician Pleads Guilty for Role in Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today to making fraudulent referrals for home health care as part of a $1.6 million home health care fraud scheme.



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African Trophy Hunter Indicted for Violating Endangered Species Act and Lacey Act

Charles Kokesh was indicted by a federal grand jury in Pensacola, Florida, for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Lacey Act by selling two African elephant tusks and for making false accounts of wildlife related to that sale.



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Former Navy Reservist Pleads Guilty to Sexual Exploitation of Multiple Minors to Produce Child Pornography

Anthony K. Mastrogiovanni, 30, of Crofton, Md., pleaded guilty today to the sexual exploitation of minors to produce child pornography



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Former University Professor Charged in California with Engaging in Sexual Conduct with Minors and Producing Child Pornography

Walter Lee Williams, a former university professor, has been indicted for allegedly engaging in sexual conduct with minors and producing child pornography.



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US Joins False Claims Act Lawsuit Alleging Illegal Physician Compensation by Mobile, Ala., Health Firm

The government has intervened in a False Claims Act lawsuit against Infirmary Health System Inc. and its related entities: IMC-Diagnostic and Medical Clinic P.C., Diagnostic Physicians Group P.C. and Infirmary Medical Clinics P.C.



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California Man Sentenced to 960 Months for Producing Child Pornography Involving Two Young Virginia Girls

John Stuart Dowell, 47, of Santa Cruz, Calif., was sentenced late yesterday in Harrisonburg, Va., to serve 960 months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for producing child pornography.



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Michigan Physical Therapist Assistant/home Health Agency Owner Pleads Guilty for Role in Medicare Fraud Scheme

A greater Detroit-area physical therapist assistant – who was also an owner of a home health agency and a patient recruiter – pleaded guilty today for his role in a $22 million home health care fraud scheme.



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Michigan Physical Therapist and Home Health Agency Owner Pleads Guilty for Role in Medicare Fraud Scheme

A greater Detroit-area physical therapist who was also an owner of a home health agency pleaded guilty yesterday for his role in a $22 million home health care fraud scheme.



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Long Island Physician to Pay U.S. $388,000 to Settle False Claims Act Allegations Related to Overbilling Medicare

Richard S. Obedian, a Long Island, N.Y., orthopedic surgeon, will pay the government $388,000 to settle allegations that he violated the False Claims Act by submitting false claims to Medicare for minimally invasive spine procedures.



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Medical Supply Company Officer and Southern California Physician Sentenced for $1.5 Million Medicare Fraud

A former officer of Fendih Medical Supply Inc. was sentenced to serve 51 months in prison yesterday in Los Angeles for his role in a fraud scheme that resulted in $1.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. In addition, a physician was sentenced to 27 months in prison for his role in the scheme.



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Former Navy Reservist Sentenced to 25 Years in Prison for Sexual Exploitation of Multiple Minors to Produce Child Pornography

Anthony K. Mastrogiovanni, 30, of Crofton, Md., was sentenced today to serve 25 years in prison for sexually exploiting more than 30 male juveniles – ranging from 9 to 16 years of age – in Maryland and Louisiana to produce child pornography.



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Former Federal Contractor Petitions to Plead Guilty to Unlawfullly Disclosing National Defense Information and Distributing Child Pornography

Donald John Sachtleben, a former FBI bomb technician who later worked as a government contractor for the agency, has filed a petition to plead guilty to newly filed charges of unlawfully disclosing national defense information relating to a disrupted terrorist plot. Sachtleben previously had filed a petition to plead guilty to charges of possessing and distributing child pornography resulting from a separate investigation.



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Indiana Physician Pleads Guilty to Failure to Pay Employment Taxes

Dr. Ronald Eugene Jamerson of Schererville, Ind., entered a guilty plea to one count of willfully failing to truthfully account for, collect and pay over employment taxes to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Department of Justice and IRS announced today.



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Government Intervenes in False Claims Lawsuit Against Ipc the Hospitalist Co. Inc. Alleging Overbilling of Physician Services

The government has intervened in a lawsuit against IPC The Hospitalist Co. Inc., and its subsidiaries (IPC), alleging that IPC submitted false claims to federal health care programs, the Justice Department announced today. IPC, based in North Hollywood, Calif., is one of the largest providers of hospitalist services in the United States, employing physicians and other health care providers who work in more than 1,300 facilities in 28 states. Hospitalists are physicians who work only in hospitals and other long-term care facilities, overseeing and coordinating inpatient care from admission to discharge.



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Abbott Laboratories Pays U.S. $5.475 Million to Settle Claims That Company Paid Kickbacks to Physicians

Abbott Laboratories has agreed to pay the United States $5.475 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks to induce doctors to implant the company’s carotid, biliary and peripheral vascular products, the Justice Department announced today.



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Colorado Health Care Organization and One of Its Montana Hospitals to Pay $3.85 Million for Allegedly Providing Financial Benefits to Referring Physicians and Physician Groups

St. James Healthcare (St. James), a hospital located in Butte, Mont., and its parent company, Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth Health System (Sisters of Charity), a health care organization based in Denver, Colo., have agreed to pay $3.85 million to resolve allegations that they violated the Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law and the False Claims Act by improperly providing financial benefits to physicians and physician groups that made referrals to the hospital.



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Physician Pleads Guilty for Role in Detroit-Area Medicare Fraud Scheme

A former Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for his role in an $11.5 million health care fraud scheme. Jose Mercado-Francis, 60, formerly of Brownstown Township, Mich., prepared medical documentation that licensed physicians signed as if they had provided services to Medicare beneficiaries, when, in fact, they had not.



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Florida Hospital System Agrees to Pay the Government $85 Million to Settle Allegations of Improper Financial Relationships with Referring Physicians

Halifax Hospital Medical Center and Halifax Staffing Inc. (Halifax), a hospital system based in the Daytona Beach, Fla., area, have agreed to pay $85 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to the Medicare program that violated the Physician Self-Referral Law, commonly known as the Stark Law.



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Los Angeles Physician Assistant Pleads Guilty in Two Medicare Fraud Cases

A Los Angeles physician assistant pleaded guilty today to defrauding Medicare by signing fraudulent prescriptions for durable medical equipment while working at two separate medical clinics in California.



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Physician Pleads Guilty for Role in Detroit-area Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for her role in a $7 million health care fraud scheme. Adelina Herrero, 72, of Ann Arbor, Mich., pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Paul D. Borman in the Eastern District of Michigan to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.



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Indiana Physician Sentenced for Failing to Pay Employment Taxes

Ronald Eugene Jamerson, 56, of Schererville, Ind., was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison by U.S. District Judge Phillip P. Simon.



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Detroit-Area Physical Therapist, Physical Therapy Assistant and Unlicensed Doctor Convicted in $14.9 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Detroit today convicted a physical therapist, physical therapy assistant and unlicensed doctor for their participation in a nearly $15 million Medicare fraud scheme.



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Dallas-Based Physician and Home Health Agency Director of Nursing Convicted in $3 Million Medicare Fraud Conspiracy

Late yesterday, a federal jury in the Northern District of Texas convicted a physician and a home health agency manager for their participation in a $3 million Medicare fraud conspiracy.



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Minnesota-Based Medtronic Inc. to Pay $9.9 Million to Resolve Claims That Company Paid Kickbacks to Physicians

Medtronic Inc., of Fridley, Minnesota, has agreed to pay the United States $9.9 million to resolve allegations under the False Claims Act that the company used various types of payments to induce physicians to implant pacemakers and defibrillators manufactured and sold by Medtronic.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Los Angeles Physician Indicted in $33 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Robert A. Glazer, 67, of Los Angeles, California, was indicted in the Central District of California and charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Glazer allegedly billed Medicare for services that were not medically necessary, and at times were not provided to the Medicare beneficiaries.



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Former Owner of Physical Therapy Clinic Sentenced to Prison in Connection with Health Care Fraud Scheme

A Florida man who was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison today in federal court in Tampa, Florida



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Air Force NCO Sentenced to 120 years in Prison for Sexually Exploiting Toddlers and Children to Produce Child Pornography

Earlier today, William S. Gazafi, age 44, of Lusby, Maryland, was sentenced to 120 years in prison, for six counts of sexually exploiting a minor to produce child pornography



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Physician Pleads Guilty for Role in Detroit-Area Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Detroit-area physician pleaded guilty today for his role in a $7 million health care fraud scheme



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Former University of Virginia Dean Sentenced on Child Pornography Charges

A Crozet, Virginia man who previously pleaded guilty to child pornography charges was sentenced today in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Charlottesville for distribution and possession of child pornography



  • OPA Press Releases

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Florida Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison on Child Pornography Charges

Robert Eugene Revay, 79, of Oakland Park, Florida, was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison for conspiring to produce child pornography and for possession of child pornography



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Alabama Hospital System and Physician Group Agree to Pay $24.5 Million to Settle Lawsuit Alleging False Claims for Illegal Medicare Referrals

Mobile, Alabama-based Infirmary Health System Inc. (IHS), two IHS-affiliated clinics and Diagnostic Physicians Group P.C. (DPG) have agreed to pay the United States $24.5 million to resolve a lawsuit alleging that they violated the False Claims Act by paying or receiving financial inducements in connection with claims to the Medicare program, the Justice Department announced today



  • OPA Press Releases

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Physician Assistant and Certified Nursing Assistant Convicted in $200 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A federal jury in Miami today convicted a physician assistant and a certified nursing assistant, both South Florida residents, for their participation in a Medicare fraud scheme involving approximately $200 million in fraudulent billings by American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), a mental health care company headquartered in Miami



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Registered Convicted Sex Offender Found Guilty of Attempted Production of Child Pornography and Traveling to Engage in Sex with a Minor

A 65-year-old registered sex offender, with two prior convictions relating to possession of child pornography and attempted sexual conduct with minors, was found guilty today of attempting to produce child pornography, travel with intent to engage in illicit sexual conduct, transporting child pornography, possessing child pornography and offense by a registered sex offender



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United States Pursues Claims Against Neurosurgeon, Spinal Implant Company, Physician-Owned Distributorships and Their Non-Physician Owners for Alleged Kickbacks and Medically Unnecessary Surgeries

The United States has filed two complaints under the False Claims Act against Michigan neurosurgeon Dr. Aria Sabit, spinal implant company Reliance Medical Systems, two Reliance distributorships—Apex Medical Technologies and Kronos Spinal Technologies—and the companies’ owners, Brett Berry, John Hoffman and Adam Pike.



  • OPA Press Releases

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Why Words Matter in the Substance Use Conversation

In any public health or policy issue, it is important to consider the language used to discuss the people affected. The nation’s prolonged opioid crisis continues to touch many communities and families, and the way in which experts and others talk about substance use disorders, their causes, and the solutions is evolving.




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Orienteering World Champion Signs up to Promote Lacprodan® HYDRO.365

Another leading athlete has joined Arla Foods Ingredients’ growing number of brand ambassadors for Lacprodan® HYDRO.365.




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National Institutes of Health Announces NIAGEN® Shows Improved Cognitive and Physical Function

ChromaDex Corp. announced NIAGEN® nicotinamide riboside prevented neurological damage and improved cognitive and physical function in a new mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease.




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Promoting Universal Health Coverage: Sharing a Prosperous and Healthy Future

Leaders from around the world gathered at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on 23 September for the first-ever United Nations High-Level Meeting (UNHLM) on Universal Health Coverage (UHC): Moving Together to Build a Healthier World.




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Finalists of APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economy Prize Announced

Equal pay, migrant workers, and maternal health are the issues highlighted by the finalists of the inaugural APEC Healthy Women, Healthy Economies Research Prize.




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Inaugural Healthy Women Health Economies Prize Announces Winning Research

A comprehensive study on the health needs of Filipino migrant workers has won the inaugural APEC Healthy Women Healthy Economies award.




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APEC Healthy Women Prize Accepting Applications

Research Promoting Women’s Health to Receive $20,000 Prize




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Why You Can’t Always Trust Your Coronavirus Antibody Test Results

Many people across the country experienced COVID-19 symptoms but could not get a test to confirm if they actually had the virus. Now some are looking to a different kind of coronavirus test for answers.

Antibody tests are meant to recognize a past infection. Many of these have hit the market in recent weeks and are being offered at local clinics. Officials have touted the tests as crucial for reopening the economy and developing public health strategies to contain the virus.

But there are still questions about how accurate they are. And even with a very good test, it's possible to test positive for antibodies even when you don't actually have them. Watch our new video to learn why.




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Manufacturer to move hydroxychloroquine production to the UK to avoid shortages

A manufacturer has announced plans to move production of hydroxychloroquine — currently being trialled as a COVID-19 treatment — to the UK from abroad to combat potential shortages.

To read the whole article click on the headline




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So, You're Not Talking Much In Quarantine. Here's How To Keep Your Voice Healthy

With social distancing, many people are speaking less and their voices sound raggedy. NPR's Scott Simon talks with speech pathologist Sandy Hirsch, about keeping the voice sounding as it should.




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Indonesia asks why Chinese fishing ship dumped sailors in sea




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Critical role of histone H3 lysine 27 demethylase Kdm6b in the homeostasis and function of medullary thymic epithelial cells