JEFF NEWMAN LAW ANNOUNCES $1.3 MILLION SETTLEMENT OF FALSE CLAIMS ACT CASE AGAINST ST. MARGARET’S CENTER FOR FAILURE TO PROPERLY CARE FOR RESIDENTS INCLUDING CHILDREN
February 12, 2026
The law firm Jeff Newman Law is pleased to announce the settlement of a False Claims Act (FCA) case against Center for Disability Services Holding Corporation d/b/a St. Margaret’s Center, a pediatric skilled nursing facility in Albany, New York, caring for chronically ill and disabled children and other residents. Whistleblowers Amanda Hodge and Jennifer Minshell, who worked at the facility as nurses, filed the qui tam action through the firm Jeff Newman Law on January 4, 2022. Following the filing of the lawsuit, an investigation by the New York Attorney General’s Office and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York revealed that, from 2018 through 2023, St. Margarets fraudulently certified it was meeting state and federal nursing home standards. The investigation revealed that St. Margaret’s was not adequately staffed, and one inspection conducted by the New York Department of Health (DOH) found that the facility had failed to supervise three children, immediately jeopardizing their health and safety. In other instances, St. Margaret’s residents did not receive appropriate respiratory care and suffered from medication errors.
Under a settlement, St. Margaret’s will pay $1.3 million to Medicaid and will also be monitored by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General for five years.
The whistleblowers revealed the conditions of the facility to protect their patients. Had they not done so, it is likely nothing would have been done. Attorney Newman, who filed the case in 2022, thanks Assistant Attorney General Emily Auletta and Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Moran for their diligent oversight and comprehensive investigation of the case.
Click Here to view the original complaint
Click Here to view the state settlement agreement
Click Here to view the federal settlement agreement
If you have any questions, please contact Jeffrey Newman at 617-823-3217. Jeff Newman Law represents whistleblowers in cases involving Medicare and Medicaid fraud, customs and tariff fraud, export control fraud, and SEC and financial fraud.
JEFF NEWMAN LAW ANNOUNCES MAJOR $28 MILLION SETTLEMENT IN FALSE CLAIMS ACT FRAUD CASE AGAINST UNIVERSITY
January 13, 2026
The law firms of Vezina Law, PLC, Morgan Verkamp, LLC, Todd & Weld, LLP, and Jeff Newman Law are pleased to announce the successful settlement of the False Claims Act matter captioned United States ex rel. Michelle Mackillop v. Grand Canyon Education, Inc., et al. The False Claims Act allows private persons with knowledge of fraud perpetrated against the United States to file a lawsuit to redress that fraud to the benefit of the United States. The matter, brought by qui tam relator Michelle Mackillop, was pending in the United States District Court for the District of Arizona, and alleged that Grand Canyon University (GCU), one of the largest universities in the United States, and Grand Canyon Education, Inc. (GCE), a publicly traded third-party education service provider, violated material conditions of payment relating to federal student aid programs administered by the United States Department of Education. The relator alleged the defendants’ compensation plans violated the Incentive Compensation Ban (ICB) applicable to all Title IV financial aid programs administered by the Department. GCU and GCE paid $28 million dollars, without admitting liability, to settle the allegations that they compensated their enrollment personnel in a manner that took into account the number of students they enrolled to attend GCU.
The ICB prohibits the compensation of employees involved in the pre-enrollment recruitment of, or securing of federal financial aid for, university students based on the number of students the employee enrolls. The ICB is designed to prevent schools from recruiting and enrolling students who may use federal financial aid, such as Stafford Loans, Pell Grants, or military assistance, based on financial incentives offered to recruiters, rather than the educational needs of individual students. Colleges receiving these federal funds must act in the best interest of their students, ensuring that enrollment decisions are based on educational fit—not financial incentives. When students are recruited based on the financial benefit paid to recruiters, the risk that students who are unable or unwilling to complete a degree program increases, which ultimately increases the risk of loan default and other financial harm to both the student and the United States. In light of these important goals, the Department of Education has issued guidance regarding the ICB, reinforcing the principle that student welfare must come before institutional profit.
Ms. Mackillop, a former GCU recruiter, originally filed the lawsuit in 2018 in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts, where it was litigated through the summary judgment phase, at which point it was transferred to Arizona. The United States did not intervene in the matter, and Ms. Mackillop, represented by the above-named firms, litigated the matter to a successful resolution, securing a settlement of all claims shortly before trial was to commence.
As the person who filed and successfully pursued the case, Ms. Mackillop was awarded a 29% share of the United States’ $28,000,000.00 recovery.
Jeff Newman Law filed the case in Boston on June 7, 2018. Jeff Newman Law commends whistleblower Michelle Mackillop for her resolute commitment to the case and its cause.
Click Here to view the original complaint
For further information, contact Jeffrey Newman at jeff@jeffnewmanlaw.com or 1-617-823-3217.
Jeff Newman Law Announces Settlement in Case for Overbilling Medicaid by Walgreen Company Which Will Pay Over $2.858 Million to Settle
Jeff Newman Law, representing whistleblowers, is pleased to announce that the United States has settled a False Claims Act case brought by two of its clients. Under the terms of the settlement, Walgreens Co. (Walgreens) will pay over $2.858 million to resolve allegations that it violated the federal, Massachusetts, and Georgia False Claims Acts by submitting inflated prices for certain generic medications to the Massachusetts and Georgia Medicaid programs.
The case was filed in April 2019, and based upon the information presented, the government alleged that between 2008 and 2023, Walgreen’s pharmacies submitted higher than usual and customary price to the MassHealth and Georgia Medicaid programs for certain generic medications.
Our firm worked on the case with co-counsel Paul Lawrence Esq. of Waters & Kraus of Dallas, TX. We express our appreciation to the significant efforts of Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Sharobem of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston, MA, as well as members of the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
For more information contact Attorney Jeff Newman at 617-823-3217.
JEFF NEWMAN LAW ANNOUNCES $21.3 MILLION SETTLEMENT WITH THE
GRAND HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND 12 AFFILIATED SKILLED NURSING
FACILITIES FOR ALLEGEDLY PROVIDING AND BILLING FOR FRAUDULENT
REHAB THERAPY SERVICES
Click here to read the report.
Law360 Covers Customs Fraud Whistleblower Settlement in Case Brought by Jeff Newman Law
On November 10, 2022, Law360 published an article, “Calif. Importer Pays $3.25M To End Customs Fraud Case,” on a recent settlement in a customs fraud False Claims Act qui tam case brought by Jeff Newman Law. In the case, whistleblower Chris Chan, a Hong Kong resident, alleged that a California-based importer was evading tariffs on Chinese merchandise by understating the prices it paid for the goods.
Akorn to Pay $7.9 Million to Resolve Medicare Fraud Claims
On September 15, 2022, the Department of Justice announced a $7.9 million settlement with pharmaceutical company Akorn to resolve False Claims Act allegations in a qui tam case that Jeff Newman Law filed on behalf of its client, Albermarle, LLC.
Jeff Newman Law Firm Lauds The Decision Of The U.S. Treasury To Create New Whistleblower Rewards Program To Recover Stolen Assets By Russian Elites Seeking To Evade U.S. Sanctions
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Modern Healthcare features article on major whistleblower case against Equity Finance Company and Counsel for the whistleblower, Jeffrey A. Newman
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Wall Street Journal features case of whistleblower represented by Jeffrey A. Newman.
Read the article in the Wall Street Journal.
Jeffrey Newman featured in compliance newsletter for record settlement
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Jeffrey Newman quoted in the Boston Globe about his recent HIG settlement, the largest publicly disclosed government health care fraud settlement in the nation involving private equity oversight of health care providers.
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Marblehead attorney lands largest settlement against a national therapy company servicing patients in skilled nursing facilities
It took more than a few nights and weekends pouring over documents and constructing detailed spreadsheets with her lawyer, Jeffrey A. Newman of Marblehead, but Janet Halpin can now say it was all worth it… Read More.
