In what was originally a qui tam case, the owner of a cataract lens manufacturer was found guilty of paying kickbacks to ophthalmic surgeons to induce their use of the defendants’ products in cataract surgeries. The kickbacks led to a total of 64,575 false claims to Medicare within a 9-year period.
The manufacturer was subsequently found guilty and is now responsible for paying back $43 million for violations of the FCA (False Claims Act) and AKS (Anti-Kickback Statute).
