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2010-09-08T13:10:33Z

Qui tam attorneys for whistleblowers:

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	===Qui tam attorneys for whistleblowers===		===Qui tam attorneys for whistleblowers===

-	Packard, Packard & Johnson is one of the country’s leading [[False Claims\|qui tam]] and whistleblower lawfirms. Since the 1986 amendment of the False Claims Act, it has represented relators and whistleblowers to settle and recover for the federal government over $2.1 billion in qui tam cases. It has worked closely with the Department of Justice and various US Attorneys offices for intervention cases, and has the unusual experience of successfully prosecuting several non-intervention cases. These qui tam cases range from fraud by various defense contractors, false claims by the national accounting firms, nursing home abuses, false claims in pharmaceutical sales, Medicare/Medicaid fraud, fraudulent pricing systems integration and technology companies to the government, government procurement fraud, and numerous other areas of corrupt practice, along with wrongful termination of the whistleblower when applicable.	+	Packard, Packard & Johnson is one of the country’s leading [[False Claims\|qui tam]] and whistleblower lawfirms. Since the 1986 amendment of the False Claims Act, it has represented relators and whistleblowers to settle and recover for the federal government over $2.1 billion in qui tam cases.
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		+	{\| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="text-align:left; width:570; background:#ffe2b4"
		+	! width="80"; style="background:#f0f0f0"\|Recent News
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		+	[[Cisco_Systems_and_Westcon_Group_to_Pay_United_States_$48_Million_to_Resolve_False_Claims_Act_Allegations\|Cisco Settles for $48 Million to US Government]]
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		+	\|[http://www.quitamblogs.com/2010/06/emc-settlement.html EMC Settles for $87.5 Million]
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		+	It has worked closely with the Department of Justice and various US Attorneys offices for intervention cases, and has the unusual experience of successfully prosecuting several non-intervention cases. These qui tam cases range from fraud by various defense contractors, false claims by the national accounting firms, nursing home abuses, false claims in pharmaceutical sales, Medicare/Medicaid fraud, fraudulent pricing systems integration and technology companies to the government, government procurement fraud, and numerous other areas of corrupt practice, along with wrongful termination of the whistleblower when applicable.

	Our [[attorneys]] have spoken on various panels and forums as experts on the False Claims Act, representing the plaintiff whistleblower. Once we have formally represented a whistleblower, we often spend into the millions of dollars of time and costs prosecuting the defendants. Few firms in the United States have the depth and length of experience representing whistleblowers.		Our [[attorneys]] have spoken on various panels and forums as experts on the False Claims Act, representing the plaintiff whistleblower. Once we have formally represented a whistleblower, we often spend into the millions of dollars of time and costs prosecuting the defendants. Few firms in the United States have the depth and length of experience representing whistleblowers.

	Through its efforts, whistleblower have received millions of dollars in rewards for their serving as qui tam relators. Packard, Packard & Johnson can assist you in deciding whether you have a potential qui tam case, by your completing our confidential questionaire. All information provided by you is confidential by law.		Through its efforts, whistleblower have received millions of dollars in rewards for their serving as qui tam relators. Packard, Packard & Johnson can assist you in deciding whether you have a potential qui tam case, by your completing our confidential questionaire. All information provided by you is confidential by law.

User talk:WikiSysop

2010-09-08T13:08:17Z

News:

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	=='''News'''==		=='''News'''==
-	{\| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="text-align:~~center~~; width:570; background:#F9F9C4"	+	{\| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="text-align:left; width:570; background:#F9F9C4"
	! width="80"; style="background:#f0f0f0"\|Recent News		! width="80"; style="background:#f0f0f0"\|Recent News
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News

2010-09-08T13:05:44Z

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	'''[http://www.packard.com/images/8/81/SuitsonSuperSecretFees.pdf Wall Street Journal August 30, 2007]''' - ''Suits Focus on Secret Computer-Industry Fees''		'''[http://www.packard.com/images/8/81/SuitsonSuperSecretFees.pdf Wall Street Journal August 30, 2007]''' - ''Suits Focus on Secret Computer-Industry Fees''
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		+	'''[http://www.quitamblogs.com/2010/06/emc-settlement.html EMC Settlement May 17, 2010]'''

	'''[http://www.packard.com/images/c/c1/January_5_2004_WSJ_article.pdf Wall Street Journal January 5, 2004]''' - ''Court Files Offer Inside Look at Pricewaterhouse Billing Clash''		'''[http://www.packard.com/images/c/c1/January_5_2004_WSJ_article.pdf Wall Street Journal January 5, 2004]''' - ''Court Files Offer Inside Look at Pricewaterhouse Billing Clash''

	'''[http://www.packard.com/images/d/dd/WSJ_articles_Sept_17_2003.pdf Wall Street Journal September 17, 2003]''' - ''Audit Firms Overbilled Clients for Travel, Arkansas Suit Alleges''		'''[http://www.packard.com/images/d/dd/WSJ_articles_Sept_17_2003.pdf Wall Street Journal September 17, 2003]''' - ''Audit Firms Overbilled Clients for Travel, Arkansas Suit Alleges''

User talk:WikiSysop

2010-09-08T13:04:44Z

News:

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-	~~! width="200"; style="background:#f0f0f0"\|Date~~	+	! width="80"; style="background:#f0f0f0"\|Recent News
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-	\| ~~September 7, 2010~~	+	\|
-	\|[[Cisco_Systems_and_Westcon_Group_to_Pay_United_States_$48_Million_to_Resolve_False_Claims_Act_Allegations\|Cisco ~~Settlement~~ for $48 Million to US Government]]	+	[[Cisco_Systems_and_Westcon_Group_to_Pay_United_States_$48_Million_to_Resolve_False_Claims_Act_Allegations\|Cisco Settles for $48 Million to US Government]]
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		+	\|[http://www.quitamblogs.com/2010/06/emc-settlement.html EMC Settles for $87.5 Million]
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Cisco Systems and Westcon Group to Pay United States $48 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

2010-09-08T12:54:26Z

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-	~~'''Cisco Systems and Westcon Group to Pay United States $48 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations'''~~
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	LOS ALTOS, Calif., Sept. 7 Press Release -- Today Cisco Systems and its distributor, Westcon Group, have agreed to pay the United States government $48 million to resolve allegations that it defrauded various federal government agencies, as alleged in a lawsuit filed in 2005 by the False Claims Act law firm of Packard, Packard & Johnson, located in Los Altos, California, an enclave of Silicon Valley. They are one of the few firms in Northern California that represents whistleblowers on large False Claims Act cases. Two whistleblowers, Norman Rille and Neal Roberts, first approached their attorneys in 2002, and they jointly worked on the case for two years before filing the lawsuit under seal in federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas. Local counsel is Stephen Engstrom, with Wilson, Engstrom, Corum & Coulter. Relator Rille had worked for Accenture, a Systems Integrator for the Government, which did many large projects for various federal agencies. During his employment at Accenture, he became aware of alliance activity between Cisco and Accenture. The terms and practices of the alliances called for referral fees and special discounts by Cisco to Accenture, the amounts of which were often kept confidential. When Mr. Rille left his employment with Accenture, he took with him over 700,000 pages of documents, many of which involve Cisco. Accenture had vigorously insisted that the documents had to be returned, but in a key ruling, the federal judge ruled that protecting the federal taxpayers trumps any non-disclosure agreements and state laws.		LOS ALTOS, Calif., Sept. 7 Press Release -- Today Cisco Systems and its distributor, Westcon Group, have agreed to pay the United States government $48 million to resolve allegations that it defrauded various federal government agencies, as alleged in a lawsuit filed in 2005 by the False Claims Act law firm of Packard, Packard & Johnson, located in Los Altos, California, an enclave of Silicon Valley. They are one of the few firms in Northern California that represents whistleblowers on large False Claims Act cases. Two whistleblowers, Norman Rille and Neal Roberts, first approached their attorneys in 2002, and they jointly worked on the case for two years before filing the lawsuit under seal in federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas. Local counsel is Stephen Engstrom, with Wilson, Engstrom, Corum & Coulter. Relator Rille had worked for Accenture, a Systems Integrator for the Government, which did many large projects for various federal agencies. During his employment at Accenture, he became aware of alliance activity between Cisco and Accenture. The terms and practices of the alliances called for referral fees and special discounts by Cisco to Accenture, the amounts of which were often kept confidential. When Mr. Rille left his employment with Accenture, he took with him over 700,000 pages of documents, many of which involve Cisco. Accenture had vigorously insisted that the documents had to be returned, but in a key ruling, the federal judge ruled that protecting the federal taxpayers trumps any non-disclosure agreements and state laws.

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	The whistleblowers and Packard, Packard & Johnson are delighted to see the case come to a favorable conclusion. "We have represented whistleblowers for 20 years, and in these tough economic times, it's more important than ever to protect the taxpayers' money," stated Ron Packard.		The whistleblowers and Packard, Packard & Johnson are delighted to see the case come to a favorable conclusion. "We have represented whistleblowers for 20 years, and in these tough economic times, it's more important than ever to protect the taxpayers' money," stated Ron Packard.
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		+	[http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2010/September/10-civ-1002.html DOJ Release]

	CONTACT: Von Packard or Ron Packard, Attorneys for Relators of Packard, Packard & Johnson, +1-650-947-7300		CONTACT: Von Packard or Ron Packard, Attorneys for Relators of Packard, Packard & Johnson, +1-650-947-7300

User talk:WikiSysop

2010-09-08T12:49:47Z

News:

New page

=='''News'''==
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1" style="text-align:center; width:570; background:#F9F9C4"
! width="200"; style="background:#f0f0f0"|Date
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| September 7, 2010
|[[Cisco_Systems_and_Westcon_Group_to_Pay_United_States_$48_Million_to_Resolve_False_Claims_Act_Allegations|Cisco Settlement for $48 Million to US Government]]
|}

Cisco Systems and Westcon Group to Pay United States $48 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations

2010-09-08T09:07:01Z

New page

'''Cisco Systems and Westcon Group to Pay United States $48 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations'''

LOS ALTOS, Calif., Sept. 7 Press Release -- Today Cisco Systems and its distributor, Westcon Group, have agreed to pay the United States government $48 million to resolve allegations that it defrauded various federal government agencies, as alleged in a lawsuit filed in 2005 by the False Claims Act law firm of Packard, Packard & Johnson, located in Los Altos, California, an enclave of Silicon Valley. They are one of the few firms in Northern California that represents whistleblowers on large False Claims Act cases. Two whistleblowers, Norman Rille and Neal Roberts, first approached their attorneys in 2002, and they jointly worked on the case for two years before filing the lawsuit under seal in federal court in Little Rock, Arkansas. Local counsel is Stephen Engstrom, with Wilson, Engstrom, Corum & Coulter. Relator Rille had worked for Accenture, a Systems Integrator for the Government, which did many large projects for various federal agencies. During his employment at Accenture, he became aware of alliance activity between Cisco and Accenture. The terms and practices of the alliances called for referral fees and special discounts by Cisco to Accenture, the amounts of which were often kept confidential. When Mr. Rille left his employment with Accenture, he took with him over 700,000 pages of documents, many of which involve Cisco. Accenture had vigorously insisted that the documents had to be returned, but in a key ruling, the federal judge ruled that protecting the federal taxpayers trumps any non-disclosure agreements and state laws.

The Federal Anti-Kickback Act prohibits a Systems Integrator, who is supposed to provide objective advice to the Government, from receiving anything of value for recommending the purchase by the Government of a vendor's products. At the same time, the Federal Acquisition Regulations require that a vendor provide the Government its current, accurate and best pricing data when negotiating a multiple award schedule with the Government. Failure to do so results in what is called defective pricing, which is also a violation of the False Claims Act.

Neal Roberts had worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers, another Systems Integrator, for years and also knew about alliance practices and the requirements of disclosure to the Government regarding discounts. After the lawsuit was filed, the two relators and their attorneys assisted the government over a period of years in the investigation of the allegations and the damages. The government investigators had each of the whistleblowers place strategic telephone calls that were tape recorded, which assisted in the investigation. Numerous meetings have been held in the offices of Packard, Packard & Johnson in Los Altos with many federal agents and DoJ attorneys from across the nation. The attorneys also maintain a database containing over 14 million pages of documents, readily accessibly to the federal agents and government attorneys. The case was assigned to and handled by the Honorable William R. Wilson, Jr. Cisco and Westcon have consistently denied any wrongdoing.

The whistleblowers and Packard, Packard & Johnson are delighted to see the case come to a favorable conclusion. "We have represented whistleblowers for 20 years, and in these tough economic times, it's more important than ever to protect the taxpayers' money," stated Ron Packard.

CONTACT: Von Packard or Ron Packard, Attorneys for Relators of Packard, Packard & Johnson, +1-650-947-7300

News

2010-09-08T09:03:17Z

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		+	[[Cisco Systems and Westcon Group to Pay United States $48 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations]] - September 7, 2010

	'''[http://www.packard.com/images/8/81/SuitsonSuperSecretFees.pdf Wall Street Journal August 30, 2007]''' - ''Suits Focus on Secret Computer-Industry Fees''		'''[http://www.packard.com/images/8/81/SuitsonSuperSecretFees.pdf Wall Street Journal August 30, 2007]''' - ''Suits Focus on Secret Computer-Industry Fees''