Education Fraud

Education Fraud Attorney- Tim McInnis

The Princeton Review Admits NYC After-School Tutoring Education Fraud Charges, Falsifying Attendance, According to Manhattan-Based Qui Tam Whistleblower Attorney Timothy J. McInnis, Esq.

Massachusetts-based Education Holdings 1, Inc., formerly known as The Princeton Review, Inc., has agreed to pay $200,000 to the Government within five days and, depending upon possible corporate changes or sale, could pay up to $9.8 million more. It earlier had sold the name and brand of “The Princeton Review, Inc.” to an unaffiliated party.

Under the False Claims Act, Qui Tam actions allow private citizens with knowledge of fraud to help the Government recover ill-gotten gains and additional civil penalties. The FCA allows the Government to collect up to three times the amount it was defrauded, in addition to civil penalties from $5,500 to $11,000 per false claim.
In successful Qui Tam whistleblower cases in which the Government intervenes, whistleblowers are typically entitled to receive awards representing 15-to-25 percent of Qui Tam recoveries. However, in cases where allegations are not resolved and taken to trial, the relator’s share increases to 25-to-30 percent. In this case the relator received 20 percent, McInnis explained.
McInnis is a former federal prosecutor with offices in New York City who concentrates his practice on federal and state FCAs and its Qui Tam whistleblower provisions.
The United States is represented in the Princeton Review case by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, Preet Bharara, U.S. Attorney, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher B. Harwood, of the U.S. Attorney’s Civil Frauds Unit. The relators’ allegations were investigated by Special Agents of the Office of the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Education.
This case was assigned to United States District Court Judge Barbara S. Jones, in the Southern District of New York, who approved the settlement.
Docket Number, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York,: Civil Action No. 09- Civ. 6876 (BSJ).

"Tim McInnis is an amazing attorney. He is intelligent, thorough, ethical, kind and he works very strategically in order to insure the best outcome for his clients. I would trust him with my life. He is not only an excellent attorney, but he is a compassionate person."
Denise A. Romano, January 2004

"Tim McInnis is a superb lawyer for whistleblowers. As both a relator and a lawyer I worked with for more than three and a

On October 14, 2020, medical device maker Merit Medical Systems Inc. (MMSI), of South Jordan, Utah, agreed to pay $18 million to settle allegations the company helped submit false claims to the federal Medicare and TRICARE programs and numerous state Medicaid programs by giving kickbacks to physicians and hospitals to induce the purchase and use of MMSI’s durable medical equipment devices and products. NYC attorney Timothy J. McInnis was a member of the legal team that successfully represented the whistleblower in the case, Charles J. (“CJ”) Wolf, M.D., who was the former Chief Compliance Officer of MMSI.

According to Dr. Wolf’s complaint and the government’s settlement agreement, for over six years MMSI paid kickbacks to physicians, medical practices, and hospitals. The payments were made indirectly under the guise of free advertising assistance, practice development, practice support, and so-called “educational” grants. All of this was intended to induce the healthcare providers to purchase and use MMSI’s products, including EmboSphere devices, which are used for uterine fibroid embolization procedures, and QuadraSphere devices, which are used for other types of embolization procedures. Among other things, MMSI used local advertising campaigns to steer patients to healthcare providers as a reward for past sales and to increase future purchases of MMSI products. Dr. Wolf and the government further alleged that MMSI disregarded numerous internal warnings, including from Dr. Wolf, that MMSI’s sales practices potentially violated the healthcare Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS).

The lawsuit was filed in the federal court in District of New Jersey, where attorney McInnis formerly served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney. The case is captioned United States ex rel. Wolf v. Merit Medical Systems, Inc., No. 2:16-cv-01855-CCC-MF (D.N.J.). Of the $18 million MMSI is paying to settle the case, $15.21 million will be go to the U.S. Treasury, and the remaining $2.79 million will go to the approximately 30 individual states that also joined the lawsuit.

half years and his counsel and perseverance were always spot on. His work was critical to a successful settlement of the case."
Stephen B. Diamond, Esq., August, 2016

"Tim McInnis Law represented my case with the up most professionalism. He communicated with me at every turn of the case ensuring I understood the process as well what was to come next. His patience, comprehension of Qui Tam Law and persistence in getting me the highest amount possible out of the case is unmatched. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend his law firm for a minute."
Don A. Briscoe, September 2016

Education Fraud

Education Fraud Attorney- Tim McInnis

The Princeton Review Admits NYC After-School Tutoring Education Fraud Charges, Falsifying Attendance, According to Manhattan-Based Qui Tam Whistleblower Attorney Timothy J. McInnis, Esq.

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