Month: May 2022

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Security News: Spokane Resident Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining More Than $50,000 in COVID-19 Relief Funds

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Spokane, Washington – Vanessa R. Waldref, the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced today that Roshon Edward Thomas, 52, of Spokane, Washington, has pleaded guilty to fraudulently obtaining more than $50,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. This case is part of the COVID-19 Relief Fraud Strike Force launched by the U.S. Attorney’s Office earlier this year. Senior Judge Rosanna Malouf Peterson accepted Thomas’ guilty plea and set sentencing for August 16, 2022, in Spokane.

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act. The CARES Act provided a number of programs through which eligible small businesses could request and obtain relief funding intended to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic for small and local businesses. One such program, the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, provided low interest loans that could be deferred until the conclusion of the pandemic to provide “bridge” funding for small businesses to maintain their operations during shutdowns and other economic circumstances caused by the pandemic.

“COVID-19 relief programs were designed to lift up our community during crisis, and due to the number of people and businesses that requested funding, some deserving small businesses were not able to obtain funding to keep their businesses in operation,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We created the COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force because combatting pandemic-related fraud and holding those accountable who abused these programs is critical to the strength and safety of our community in Eastern Washington. The Strike Force works to ensure that limited resources are used to protect our local small businesses and the critical jobs and services that they provide for the community.”

In February 2022, U.S. Attorney Waldref and the U.S. Attorney’s Office began working with federal law enforcement agencies to create and launch a COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force that would leverage partnerships between different agencies to aggressively investigate and prosecute fraud against COVID-19 relief programs in Eastern Washington. The Strike Force consists of agency representatives from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General (OIG), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs OIG, General Services Administration OIG, Internal Revenue Service, Department of Energy OIG, Department of Homeland Security OIG, and others. Cases investigated and prosecuted by the Strike Force have resulted in numerous indictments, criminal prosecutions, and civil penalties.

According to court documents and information disclosed during court proceedings, Thomas fraudulently obtained at least $54,900 in COVID-19 relief funding through two EIDL loans he obtained in July and August 2020 for a purported tattoo parlor and a clothing design company. Thomas pled guilty to submitting false and fraudulent claims to the United States, and admitted to using false and fraudulent information to obtain EIDL funding for both companies. The charge carries a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison.

“I commend the stellar investigative work on these cases performed by the Strike Force and especially in this case by SBA OIG, TIGTA, FBI, and HSI,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “We will continue to work together with our law enforcement partners to vigorously prosecute those who abuse and misuse COVID-19 relief funding, and to strengthen our communities by protecting our small and local businesses.”

Assistant United States Attorneys Dan Fruchter and Tyler H.L. Tornabene are prosecuting this case on behalf of the United States.

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Security News: Manchester Physician Barred From Prescribing Certain Controlled Substances

Source: United States Department of Justice News

Settlement Includes Prohibition from Prescribing Schedule II and Most Schedule III Controlled Substances

NASHVILLE – In a settlement reached last week, David Florence, D.O., a Manchester, Tennessee physician, agreed to be barred from prescribing Schedule II and the vast majority of Schedule III controlled substances, announced United States Attorney Mark H. Wildasin for the Middle District of Tennessee.

Pursuant to the Consent Judgment and Permanent Injunction, Florence is permanently enjoined from issuing prescriptions for any controlled substances under Schedules II and III of the Controlled Substances Act, with limited exceptions for buprenorphine products as allowed by Tennessee law, testosterone, and two migraine medications.  Florence also agreed not to order or store any controlled substances, and not to prescribe to himself, any immediate family members, fellow employees, or significant others.

Under the terms of the agreement, DEA has the right to enter Florence’s registered location at any time during business hours without notice for the purpose of determining compliance.  In addition, Florence must comply with all laws concerning the supervision of mid-level providers.  If Florence fails to comply with the terms of the settlement agreement, he is subject to civil penalties, criminal charges, and/or the revocation of his DEA Registration.

This agreement resolves all remaining claims the United States asserted against Florence, stemming from a lawsuit originally filed by the former office manager of a Cookeville, Tenn. pain clinic where Florence practiced, which was brought under the qui tam, or whistleblower, provisions of the False Claims Act. The Whistleblower provisions allow private citizens with knowledge of false claims to bring civil suits on behalf of the government.

“We rely on whistleblowers to help identify unlawful conduct, and we greatly appreciate the assistance that the relator in this case provided throughout the investigation and court proceedings that allowed us to stop Dr. Florence from ever again prescribing the dangerous controlled substances at issue here,” said U.S. Attorney Wildasin.  “This extraordinary injunctive relief is one of the many ways in which the United States can protect the public from providers who recklessly prescribe, or fail to properly supervise others in prescribing, dangerous controlled substances.”

In March 2016, the United States filed a civil complaint in intervention, alleging violations of the Controlled Substances Act and the False Claims Act, against Florence and other defendants.   As to Florence, the United States alleged that he prescribed controlled substances that had no legitimate medical purpose and failed to properly supervise mid-level practitioners.  The United States previously obtained settlements that resulted in the dismissal of its claims against all other defendants named in its complaint in intervention. 

This matter was investigated by the Department of Health & Human Services – Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Wynn Shuford represented the United States.

The case is captioned as United States ex rel. Norris v. Anderson, No. 3:12-cv-00035 (M.D. Tenn.). The claims in the complaint are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.

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Defense News: Together for Mental Health: May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Source: United States Navy

Lt. Nicholas Grant, the embedded clinical psychologist for Naval Surface Group Middle Pacific, expressed his thoughts on mental health.

“Mental and physical health are interconnected. Mental health is a core component of overall health, and a holistic perspective is important in order to understand the relationship between these variables and allows individuals to deal with their cognitive, behavioral, and emotional well-being head on,” said Grant.

When left untreated, mental health can have a negative toll on an individual’s success, happiness, and safety. Therefore, the negative stigma around mental health must be fought by understanding, providing support, and educating members and families on the importance of asking for help.

Despite how it may seem, Mental Health Awareness Month is a celebration of mental health. The purpose is to raise awareness of struggles people are dealing with and to commemorate their recovery and progress. Mental health is essential for an overall productive and happy life. However, in the military, there is a large stigma against seeking assistance due to the fear of being treated or perceived differently.

“Military specific stigma of mental health has a lot to do with concern of change to one’s duty status, including potential determination around fitness and suitability for duty, as well as how this might impact access to resources that comes with being on active duty. Folks may minimize symptoms due to these concerns. We must be thoughtful in the way we communicate around mental health and the importance of help seeking,” said Grant.

Due to the stigmas surrounding the topic and the lack of knowledge of resources, only 38 to 45% of people showed interest in receiving help, according to BMC Public Health.

Not only has the COVID-19 pandemic affected patient’s physical health, but it has also played a role in their mental health. With the large increase in mental illness associated with the pandemic, society was forced to have those tough conversations about the negative implications of poor mental well-being. As a result, awareness has spread, and support has increased.

Mental health has a direct impact on a person’s quality of life. If neglected, other aspects of one’s life can deteriorate. To get the most out of life, one must take care of themselves on a deeper level. It would be a disservice to overlook the struggles preventing someone from performing at their full potential. Society’s mindset is changing everyday as the outlook on mental illness is becoming more accepted.

“The more we can normalize mental health as a core component of holistic health and well-being, as well as change the way in which we talk about mental health, the more we will see societal change in the way mental health is viewed,” emphasized Grant.

Check up on friends and family, and most importantly, give yourself the support you deserve.

For more advice, check out the following resources:

Psychological Health Center of Excellence
(https://health.mil/Military-Health-Topics/Centers-of-Excellence/Psychological-Health-Center-of-Excellence)

Military One Source:
(1-800-342-9647)

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline:
(1-800-273-8255)

Pearl Harbor Chaplin Services:
(808) 473-3971

Makalapa Medical Center:
(808) 473-1880

15th Medical Group:
(808) 448-6000

Tripler Army Medical Center:
(808) 683-2778

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Defense News: NATO Begins Vigilance Activity Neptune Shield 22

Source: United States Navy

In support of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum and Allied Joint Force Command Naples, NESH 22 is the execution phase of a long series of activities known as Project Neptune, conceptualized in 2020.

As a day-to-day activity, NESH 22 will involve the participation of multiple nations. The already planned participating nations are: Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Turkey, the U.K. and the U.S.
 

The activity focuses on overcoming the complexities of integrating command and control of a carrier strike group, an amphibious ready group and a Marine expeditionary unit to NATO.

During NESH 22, we will conduct the handover of command and control of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (CSG) and the Combined Task Force 61/2, which includes the USS Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), and the 22d Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) from SIXTHFLT to STRIKFORNATO and the wider Alliance.

General Tod D. Wolters, Commander, Supreme Allied Command Europe (SACEUR) looks forward to the execution of NESH22 by referring to it as an establishment of the unity that NATO strives for throughout the Alliance. Gen. Wolters adds, “Vigilance activities like NESH22 strengthen our ability to seamlessly integrate maritime strike capabilities to support deterrence and defence. We continue to do everything necessary to shield the Alliance.”

Vigilance Activities are a base line, or normal day-to-day activities, occurring in all domains, and across SACEUR’s Area of Responsibility to ensure appropriate strategic awareness and force readiness required to sustain peace.

“NESH22 is an excellent opportunity for improving the capacity to coordinate with Allies in continuing vigilance in order to train for NATO multi-domain and joint operations,” Commander, Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum, General Jörg Vollmer. “NATO’s commitment to promoting peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic area is clearly expressed by the integration of our forces’ capability to rapidly respond in a time of crisis.”
 

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Defense News: A Family Affair: Father Enlists Daughter into Naval Service

Source: United States Navy

“In my first year of college, I was considering what I wanted to do in service and who I wanted to help. When I found the Naval Nurse Corps, I started thinking I could help people who helped me growing up and I could pay it forward,” said Madeline Velez. “I was born in a Naval hospital, I’ve been treated at U.S. Navy hospitals, and I felt like bringing it back full circle.”

The Navy Nurse Corps provides direct support to Navy and Marine Corps commands, squadrons, battalions, and units. Navy nurses deploy in support of combat operations, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance missions, providing the best care our nation can offer ashore and afloat.

“In my 30-plus years of service, I’ve had the honor of enlisting, commissioning and promoting hundreds of Sailors, but nothing has ever come close to the pride I felt yesterday as I enlisted my daughter, Madeline, in the Navy Nurse Candidate Program on board the USS George H.W. Bush,” said Rear Adm. Dennis Velez.

“I am so proud that she has decided to serve our Sailors and Marines and can’t wait to see her start her own Navy adventure after she graduates from the University of Virginia next summer,” he continued.

Madeline Velez recently finished her third year as a student at the University of Virginia. She will continue working toward completing her nursing degree and required certifications before transitioning to Officer Development School (ODS) – eventually commissioning as a Navy nurse.

For more information about the Navy Nurse Candidate program, click on the hyperlink above, or head to https://www.med.navy.mil/Accessions/Nurse-Candidate-Program/ for more details.

CSG-10 is an integrated combat weapons system that delivers superior combat capability to deter, and if necessary, defeat America’s adversaries in support of national security. It achieves its mission by projecting the combined power of George H.W. Bush, Carrier Air Wing 7, Destroyer Squadron 26, and the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55).

For more information about CSG-10, head to the command’s Facebook, LinkedIn, or official webpage.