MEDIA
California Attorney General Jerry Brown
“Through massive fraud, overcharging and kickbacks, these medical laboratories have siphoned hundreds of millions of dollars away from the state’s Medi-Cal program.”
March 18, 2009
California Attorney General Kamala Harris
“$241 million settlement to recover funds Quest Diagnostics illegally obtained from Medi-Cal. In a time of shrinking budgets, this historic settlement affirms that Medi-Cal exists to help the state’s neediest families rather than illegally line private pockets.”
May 11, 2011
Niall McCarthy, Whistleblower Attorney
“This lawsuit will fundamentally change the way laboratories do business. Independent labs will have a fair chance to compete for business based on service ability rather than deeply discounted pricing.”
May 11, 2011
National Group Names Riedel "Whistleblower Of The Year"
Chris Riedel, President of Hunter Laboratories, Inc., in Campbell, California, was recognized for his actions associated with the whistleblower lawsuit he filed in California that resulted in the largest state whistleblower settlement ever. The lawsuit alleged that seven California labs, including Quest Diagnostics Incorporated and Laboratory Corporation of America, had charged the state's Medi-Cal program more for laboratory tests than they charged other purchasers of comparable services in violation of state laws.
October 2011
Harry Markopolos, Whistleblower in the Bernard Madoff $70 billion Ponzi Scheme at the Taxpayers Against Fraud Annual Meeting
"Mr. Riedel’s story is unique and inspirational, not just on a human level, but also from the perspective of all of us who want to see a new ethical center develop in corporate America. Chris Riedel found, when he looked at the laboratory testing market in California, was nothing less than profiteering by the greedy at the expense of the needy. When Chris Riedel and Hunter Labs tried to enter this market, they had two obvious choices: suit up and join the kickback and price-gouging operation that had already been in full swing for 15 years—or go home. What’s unique about Chris Riedel and why he is TAF’s Whistleblower of the Year for 2011, is that he did not do the obvious thing. Instead, he chose a third way. He chose integrity."
October 2011
Wall Street Journal
“HDL to pay nearly $50 million to settle Justice Department probe; strategy of paying physicians to send in blood samples earned it hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicare.”
March 23, 2015
US Department of Justice
“Cardiovascular testing disease laboratories Health Diagnostics Laboratory Inc. (HDL), of Richmond, Virginia, and Singulex Inc., of Alameda, California, have agreed to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by paying remuneration to physicians in exchange for patient referrals and billing federal health care programs for medically unnecessary testing, the Department of Justice announced today.” “Whistleblower actions are a critical tool for holding health care providers accountable for fraudulent and abusive practices not only in South Carolina but nationwide.” said U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles of the District of South Carolina.” “When health care companies pursue profits by paying kickbacks to doctors, they undermine a patient’s ability to trust that medical decisions are being made for scientific reasons, not financial ones,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen Jr. of the District of Columbia. “Those kickbacks also harm the taxpayer because they drive up the cost of federal health care programs with medically unnecessary tests. This significant settlement shows our determination to work with whistleblowers and our federal partners to defend the integrity of the health care system from illegal agreements that hurt patients and taxpayers.”
April 9, 2015
Niall McCarthy, Whistleblower Attorney
“Chris Riedel has repeatedly put his livelihood and reputation on the line to return money to taxpayers, and clean up the laboratory industry. In this era of exploding healthcare costs, whistleblowers like Chris are desperately needed.” former employees— engaged (and continues to engage) in criminal activity commonly referred to as: payment of illegal remuneration, money laundering, billing for services not rendered, and billing for medically unnecessary services.”
April 9, 2015
Pam Bondi, Florida Attorney General, during a Florida Health Innovations Subcommittee Hearing
“I am here to tell you today that, as your chief legal officer for the State of Florida, I have an obligation to be standing here in front of every one of you here today and tell you that we have very active litigation pending involving massive healthcare fraud. So if this bill passes your Committee, you will be an unwitting facilitator to potentially costing our taxpayers millions of dollars. Millions! This is because these two companies are defrauding your taxpayers. We are alleging tens of millions of dollars from a scheme to defraud the state’s Medicaid program.”
January 13, 2016
US Attorney Jim Leventis opening statement in Health Diagnostics Laboratory trial
“This case is about blood money and greed. What the defendants were willing to do for the love of money,”
January, 2018
Special Agent Jack J. Geren Jr., of the Office of Inspector General of the federal Department of Health and Human Services
“Evidence in the ongoing civil and criminal investigations, which began in 2017, suggests that True Health Diagnostics—following its acquisition of HDL and hiring its former employees— engaged (and continues to engage) in criminal activity commonly referred to as: payment of illegal remuneration, money laundering, billing for services not rendered, and billing for medically unnecessary services.”
July, 2019 court filing
US Department of Justice
“This company (Boston Heart) created lots of complex relationships to try to hide what it was doing, and that is illegally paying kickbacks for medical referrals,” said US Attorney Joseph D. Brown for the Eastern District of Texas. “The law requires that medical decisions be made based on what is best for the patient, not on what financially benefits the healthcare provider. Doctors and hospitals need to understand that these kinds of violations will be pursued.”