MARYLAND NEWS

Federal investigators have broken up what they say is an unemployment fraud ring that targeted the California Employment Development Department (EDD). The ring pulled in millions of dollars in fraudulent claims from California and other states. A federal criminal complaint obtained by KCRA 3 Investigates said that more than 200 individual unemployment applications were filed with EDD from one Hyattsville, Maryland, address between March and October 2020. EDD approved 97 of those applications. Source: KCRA 3

Warning of potential bias, the city’s corruption watchdog discloses that some members of the advisory board have been “part of” her investigations. Source: Baltimore Brew

Company Allegedly Failed to Inform FDA of Defect in Implantable Defibrillators that Caused Injuries and Death.  St. Jude Medical, Inc. (St. Jude) has agreed to pay $27 million to settle allegations under the False Claims Act that, between November 2014 and October 2016, it knowingly sold defective heart devices to health care facilities that, in turn, implanted the devices into patients insured by federal healthcare programs.  St. Jude was acquired by Abbott Laboratories in January 2017. Source: US Attorney, District of Maryland

Bipartisan Coalition of States Say Google Illegally Maintains an App Store Monopoly; Unfairly Edges Out Competition. Source: Maryland AG

The Baltimore County Executive pulls a bill that would cripple the Office of the Inspector General. Before memory of the episode fades, an analysis of just how serious this attempt to undercut good government was. [OP-ED] Source: Baltimore Brew

Source: Association of Inspectors General via Baltimore Sun

The Association of Inspectors General says the proposed bill will “gag and shackle” Inspector General Kelly Madigan and give no more than an appearance of oversight and transparency. Source: Baltimore Brew

A press release this afternoon by the Baltimore County Executive says the bill was drafted “in collaboration with the Inspector General” – a statement IG Kelly Madigan vehemently denies… Very few jurisdictions – and none on the federal level – give elected officials or others the right to appoint panels to review IG operations because such “oversight” is considered an inherent conflict of interest. The Association of Inspectors General says “best practices” call for an IG office free of political interference and policies enacted that ensure that whistleblowers as well as targets of investigations are not subject to retaliation or premature identification. Source: Baltimore Brew

The administration and its Council allies are proposing an oversight board to curb investigations by the county’s corruption watchdog. Source: Baltimore Brew

The Consumer Protection Division has received reports that scammers are “spoofing” local hospital and public utility phone numbers in an attempt to steal personal and medical information, such as Medicare, Medicaid, and/or Social Security numbers, over the phone. Some of the scammers are threatening to terminate Medicare benefits. Never give any personal information to a caller you do not know or on a call you did not initiate. Source: MD Attorney General