Nina Burris is a legal fellow at The Employment Law Group® law firm. She obtained her J.D. from The George Washington University Law School in May 2023. During her time at GW Law, Ms. Burris worked as an intern at Legal Aid DC and as a student-attorney in the Civil Access to Justice Clinic, Family Law Division, within the GW Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics. In 2018, Ms. Burris earned her bachelor’s degree from Emory University in English and Music History.
Maya Jones
Maya Jones is an evening student at Georgetown University Law Center and expects to graduate in 2026. Prior to joining The Employment Law Group® law firm, she was the senior advocacy advisor for Third Way, a policy think tank in Washington, D.C.
Ms. Jones grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, and relocated to Arlington, Virginia, in 2018. She graduated from Wake Forest University in 2018 with a Dual Bachelor of Arts Degree in Politics and International Affairs and in History with an emphasis on Constitutional Law.
Valdis Alexander
Valdis Alexander is a client services specialist for The Employment Law Group® law firm, helping individuals who may need assistance regarding discrimination in the work place.
Prior to working at TELG, Mr. Valdis began as an intake specialist at a personal injury firm in May 2018. He spoke with potential clients who were victims of slips and falls, car accidents and potential premise liability claims. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Valdis began conducting intake on behalf of those who were affected by dangerous medical devices and pharmaceuticals, such as defective hernia mesh implants, defective hip implants, cancer-causing medications, etc.
Whistleblower Earns More Than $1.6 Million in Settlement Of PPP Fraud Case Against Auto Dealership Company
Resolution Sends More Money Back to Taxpayers Than a Prior Year’s Worth of Cases
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 11, 2023) — An auto dealership management company agreed to pay $9 million to resolve claims that it illegally obtained forgiveness for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to which it was never entitled, according to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice.
The settlement concludes a whistleblower lawsuit brought by former employee David Jones, who will receive $1.62 million for alerting federal prosecutors to the alleged scheme by Victory Automotive Group, which has affiliates from California to Michigan to Florida.
Mr. Jones is represented by The Employment Law Group® law firm. His legal complaint, filed in July 2021, became public today at the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
At $6.28 million, Victory Automotive’s disputed loan appears to be the largest single PPP payment yet recovered by the U.S government via a whistleblower lawsuit — and the $9 million overall settlement is another milepost in the Justice Department’s accelerating push for PPP enforcement.
All by itself, Mr. Jones’ lawsuit returns more money to U.S. taxpayers than the 35 improper PPP loan cases that were resolved under the False Claims Act (FCA) during the 2022 fiscal year, combined, based on government numbers.
The FCA, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, makes it illegal to claim payment from the federal government via deception. The law includes a “qui tam” provision that allows whistleblowers to file a complaint on behalf of the U.S. and — if they prevail — to receive a portion of any resulting settlement or judgment.
Under the terms of the FCA, Mr. Jones’ lawsuit remained sealed while prosecutors dug into his allegations. The parties signed a settlement agreement late last month, and the case finally became public today. Victory Automotive didn’t acknowledge any wrongdoing in the matter.
“The pandemic was a time of rampant rule-breaking and outright fraud, but David’s moral compass never wavered,” said Janel Quinn, a principal of The Employment Law Group who represents Mr. Jones in the case. “Only certain businesses could claim PPP loans to stay afloat, and only certain businesses could claim forgiveness for those loans. Those were the rules. David refused turn a blind eye at Victory Automotive, and U.S. taxpayers are better off as a result.”
Ms. Quinn represents Mr. Jones along with R. Scott Oswald, TELG’s managing principal. They worked on the case in cooperation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsay Griffin from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida, and with Benjamin Wei, senior trial counsel at the Justice Department in D.C.
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Case Information
United States ex rel. Jones v. Victory Automotive Group, LLC
No. 8:21-cv-1742
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Complaint filed on July 19, 2021 (available here)
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About The Employment Law Group
The Employment Law Group® law firm represents whistleblowers and employees who stand up to wrongdoing in the workplace. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm takes cases nationwide.
Healthcare IT Company Will Pay More Than $1.7 Million To Settle Whistleblowers’ Claims of Fraud
Maryland Company Was Accused of Misusing N.I.H. Grant Funds
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 10, 2023) — A Maryland-based IT company is paying more than $1.7 million to the U.S. government to resolve whistleblowers’ claims that it misused taxpayer funds from a $15 million federal grant and several federal contracts.
Instead of billing the National Institutes of Health only for legitimate expenses under these programs, Capital Technology Information Services, Inc. of Rockville, Md., allegedly charged the government for unrelated or unperformed work, along with personal items such as vehicles, mortgage payments, and a wedding, according to court documents and a press release issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
The Employment Law Group® law firm represents two of the whistleblowers in the matter, Sherette Rhodes and Alisa Mosley. Dr. Rhodes and Ms. Mosley will receive a share of CTIS’ payment to the government.
The settlement led to the dismissal on September 13 of all claims in the matter against CTIS and individuals including Rep. Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.). Before his current stint in Congress, Mr. Mfume served as Chief Health Equity Officer for CTIS and was principal investigator for the Health Policy Research Consortium (HPRC), a body set up by CTIS under the terms of the federal grant, which promoted research into disparities in health outcomes for minority communities.
Dr. Rhodes and Ms. Mosley filed their complaint in 2017 against CTIS, Mr. Mfume, and others under the federal False Claims Act. The FCA, originally signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, makes it illegal to defraud the federal government. The law includes a “qui tam” provision that allows whistleblowers to file a complaint on behalf of the government and — if they prevail — to receive a portion of any resulting settlement or judgment.
Dr. Rhodes and Ms. Mosley’s FCA complaint, along with a later complaint filed by another CTIS whistleblower who is not represented by The Employment Law Group, remained sealed for years while being investigated by the U.S. Department of Justice. Both cases were opened to the public on October 2, several months after the government’s June 16 announcement of a settlement, and the Rhodes/Mosley complaint was finally unsealed today.
“Sherette and Alisa saw something, so they said something,” said Janel Quinn, a principal of The Employment Law Group, who represents Dr. Rhodes and Ms. Mosley. “They believed in the importance of HPRC’s mission — equality of health outcomes — and they spoke up for the proper use of tax dollars to achieve it. This settlement is their vindication and their just reward.”
Ms. Quinn worked on the case with R. Scott Oswald, managing principal of The Employment Law Group, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tarra DeShields of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
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Case Information
United States ex rel. Rhodes v. Capital Technology Information Services, Inc.
No. 8:17-cv-00609
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Complaint filed on March 2, 2017 (available here)
United States ex rel. Ezerski v. CTIS, Inc.
No. 8:18-cv-00486
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland
Complaint filed on February 16, 2018
Note: The Employment Law Group is not involved in the Ezerski case.
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About The Employment Law Group
The Employment Law Group® law firm represents whistleblowers and employees who stand up to wrongdoing in the workplace. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm takes cases nationwide.
Changing Currents 2023 – Panel Preview: The Growing Push for Pay Transparency
» “Changing Currents in Employment Law” will take place on October 25, 2023. Click here for more details and registration options.
(Transcribed and edited lightly by The Employment Law Group)
R. Scott Oswald:Welcome to our preview of this year’s “Changing Currents in Employment Law,” the D.C. Bar’s three-hour fast-paced fall CLE covering cutting edge topics in employment law.
I’m Scott Oswald, faculty chair of “Changing Currents in Employment Law,” and I am joined right now by Colleen Coveney, who is a partner at the law firm of Katz Banks & Kumin.
Colleen, how are you?
Colleen Coveney: I’m doing well, thank you. How are you?
Oswald: I’m really well.
So, you’re speaking on a panel entitled “High Visibility: Early Lessons from the Growing Push for Pay Transparency.” We know that a growing number of states have passed this kind of legislation: California, New York state, Washington state. Tell us just a little bit about your panel and your co-panelists.
Coveney: Sure. The panel that we’ll be leading in October will be on pay transparency and the gender gap. Pay transparency laws are laws that have been enacted to make pay in the workplace more accessible for employees essentially, and these laws have been around for some time now. Although, the earlier iterations of these laws took the form of laws that enabled employees to talk about pay with their colleagues in the workplace without fear of discrimination or retaliation.
What we’re seeing in more recent years, starting in 2018, is the emergence of laws that place the onus on employers to affirmatively provide information to employees and applicants — and in some instances, even the state — about pay ranges and salary ranges for certain positions.
So, in the panel, my co-panelists and I will be briefly discussing the history of the laws and the purpose of them but really focusing on the emergence of these new laws: what they say, what challenges they may pose for employers, and what employees and plaintiff-side lawyers can expect in the future with respect to these laws.
Oswald: So, let’s say that I’m thinking about registering for this panel and I’m looking in particular at your panel. What might I expect in terms of maybe a surprise as you’ve dug more deeply into the topic.
Coveney: I think that these new pay transparency laws that we are seeing emerge today are really different and unique from laws that were implemented years back designed to address pay discrimination and the gender gap because they are placing the onus on employers to affirmatively provide information about salary ranges to employees and to applicants.
I think that this will likely pose challenges for employers in the future to stay on top of pay ranges and salary ranges, to annually do analyses of what they’re paying their employees and make sure it’s consistent across the board, and to be able to roll that information out in an efficient and accurate way.
From the employee’s perspective, I think it’s going to be a really helpful tool to be able to apply for a job and know at the outset what your colleagues at similar levels are making. That’s information that has not been previously readily available to employees, and I think it’s really important that employees have that information so that they can advocate for equal pay.
Oswald: Colleen, thank you.
We look forward to seeing you at this year’s “Changing Currents in Employment Law” on Wednesday, October 25th, either in person or virtually.
Look forward to seeing you then.
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R. Scott Oswald is managing principal of The Employment Law Group, P.C. Colleen Coveney is a partner at Katz Banks Kumin LLP.
» “Changing Currents in Employment Law” will take place on October 25, 2023. Click here for more details and registration options.
U.S. Government Adds Legal Heft to Whistleblower’s Claims of Fraud at Defense Contractor
NoVa Company Padded Its Invoices on AV Equipment, Prosecutors Say
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (October 2, 2023) — A Northern Virginia government contractor and its founder may owe taxpayers more than $37 million for defrauding the U.S. Department of Defense, according to federal prosecutors.
Instead of passing along discounts on audiovisual equipment to the Defense Department, as it had agreed to do, Innovative Technologies, Inc. added hidden markups and kept the difference, prosecutors claimed in a complaint that was filed last week.
The government’s intervention in the matter was revealed today when the case was unsealed at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Lawyers for Humberto Irizarry, the whistleblower and former ITI employee who first drew prosecutors’ attention to the alleged fraud, welcomed the development.
Mr. Irizarry is represented by The Employment Law Group® law firm and Joseph Greenwald & Laake, PA. He filed his initial complaint against ITI under the federal False Claims Act in 2013; since then it has been under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The FCA, signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863, makes it illegal to claim payment from the federal government via deception. The law includes a “qui tam” provision that allows whistleblowers to file a complaint on behalf of the U.S. and — if they prevail — to receive a portion of any resulting settlement or judgment.
Under the terms of the FCA, Mr. Irizarry’s lawsuit remained sealed while prosecutors dug into his allegations. This summer the government decided to take the reins and pursue a federal jury trial against ITI and its founder, Mariano Martinez, who is accused of unjust enrichment in addition to fraud; the decision and resulting complaint became public today.
Mr. Irizarry, who was forced out of ITI in 2012 after raising concerns about the company’s dealings, will continue to be involved in the case.
“This vindication has been a long time coming for Bert,” said Janel Quinn, a principal of The Employment Law Group. “As the United States says in its complaint, Mr. Martinez begged him to ‘stick with the story’ and ignore a fraud on taxpayers. He refused, demanding honesty until Mr. Martinez shoved him toward the door. Then he assembled evidence to show to the authorities, and after a deep investigation the U.S. government is supporting his cause.”
“Whistleblowers need courage and patience, and Bert has shown a deep reservoir of both,” said Jay Holland, a principal of Joseph Greenwood & Laake. “Justice is worth the wait, and we’re grateful to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its diligence in this case. FCA cases have a long fuse — this one longer than most — but Bert never lost faith. Now he moves forward with the United States at his side.”
Ms. Quinn and Mr. Holland worked on Mr. Irizarry’s case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Darrell C. Valdez of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Mr. Irizarry is not available for comment.
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Case Information
United States ex rel. Irizarry v. Innovative Technologies, Inc.
No. 1:13-cv-00705
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Original complaint filed on May 14, 2013
U.S. complaint in partial intervention filed on Sept. 27, 2023 (available here)
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About The Employment Law Group
The Employment Law Group® law firm represents whistleblowers and employees who stand up to wrongdoing in the workplace. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm takes cases nationwide.
About Joseph Greenwald & Laake
Joseph Greenwald & Laake represents people and businesses facing complex and high-stakes issues. The firm serves clients in Washington, D.C., and the suburban Maryland area.
Ivie v. AstraZeneca Update: July 2023
In mid-2021, a federal jury in Portland, Ore., awarded $2.4 million in damages to Suzanne Ivie, a former AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals sales manager who was fired after raising concerns about the drug giant’s marketing tactics and alleged discriminatory actions.
This summer, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit confirmed Ivie’s courtroom victory, reversing an order by a trial judge who had rebuffed the jury’s verdict. After hearing arguments from both sides in November 2022, the appeals court found that the lower-level judge had erred by overruling the jurors and handing AstraZeneca a win regardless.
“We agree with Ivie,” a panel of appellate judges said in an opinion issued on May 19, 2023. The same panel also rejected AstraZeneca’s requests for rehearing, formally sending the matter back to the trial court on July 26, 2023.
The next step at the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon will be to resume the consideration of post-trial motions. That process remains on hold for now, however, pending AstraZeneca’s possible escalation of the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Ivie is represented by The Employment Law Group® law firm.
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Case Information
Ivie v. AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, LP
No. 21-35978
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
Appeal filed on November 24, 2021
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About The Employment Law Group
The Employment Law Group® law firm represents whistleblowers and other employees who stand up to wrongdoing in the workplace. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm takes cases nationwide.
Victoria Zephir
As a senior project assistant at The Employment Law Group® law firm, Victoria Zephir completes various administrative functions to support to the legal team at TELG.
Ms. Zephir graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Philosophy. She also completed a pre-law certificate to further hone her growing interest in the legal field. Ms. Zephir was fortunate enough to attend FIU on a full ride scholarship thanks to the Golden Scholar’s Program. During her time at FIU, she was able to intern with the Honorable Judge Tanya Brinkley as well as serve as a guardian ad litem. Victoria is highly motivated to advocate for and give back to the community through the practice of law. She moved to the DMV area with hopes of furthering her education and career by attending law school.
Outside of work, Ms. Zephir enjoys reading, listening to music, working out and visiting the many museums D.C. has to offer.
Quentin Harmon-England
Quentin Harmon-England is a senior project assistant at The Employment Law Group® law firm. Mr. Harmon-England came to the United States as an international student from the United Kingdom and graduated from Florida State University in May 2021 with a Bachelor’s of Science in Criminology, and again in May 2023 with a Master’s of Science in Communication & Digital Media Studies. He also completed Certificates in Emergency Management & Homeland Security and Leadership Studies during his undergraduate career.
Now preparing to live in the U.S. full-time, Mr. Harmon-England is excited to be working in the capital city in the legal field. Once fully settled, he plans to pursue a career in law enforcement and, one day, hopes to attain the rank of detective.
Outside of work, Mr. Harmon-England enjoys spending time with his husband and their pet Corgi, working out, playing golf, or gaming.
