Government & Policy · Week of Nov 2, 2026
DOJ steps up fraud and election cases: the week in policy releases
Justice Department fraud and election cases dominated the week, alongside a coal advisory appointment and commentary on a Democratic-led Congress.
Health care and benefits fraud ran through most of the week's Justice Department releases. A California laboratory and its owner agreed to pay $1.25 million to settle False Claims Act kickback allegations, a California doctor was sentenced to 15 years over a $45 million Medicare scheme, and the department's Fraud Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced actions on nearly $30M in Medicaid and SNAP fraud. The department also announced 18 more illegal-voting indictments in North Carolina and a 42-month sentence for a Syrian man in a hacking conspiracy tied to the Assad regime.
Outside enforcement, companies tied their releases to policy shifts. Wipfli outlined what Democratic control of both houses of Congress could mean for taxes, tariffs and regulations. GeoComm addressed federal school safety proposals inspired by Alyssa's Law, and Ramaco Resources said its chairman and CEO was elected to lead the International Energy Agency's Coal Industry Advisory Board.
Ramaco Resources, Inc.
Randall W. Atkins Elected as Chairman of the International Energy Agency's Coal Industry Advisory Board
Ramaco Resources says Chairman and CEO Randall W. Atkins was elected Chairman of the International Energy Agency's Coal Industry Advisory Board by unanimous vote, with Vice Chairman Evan Jenkins to chair the CIAB Associate Members. The board, created in 1979, advises the IEA on coal, energy security, critical minerals and related policy.
Justice News
California Laboratory and Its Owner Pay $1.25M to Settle Allegations of Kickbacks to Marketers
The Justice Department says Lab Genomics LLC and owner Leena Dalal agreed to pay $1,250,000 to resolve allegations that they paid value and volume-based commissions to three marketers for test referrals from January 2020 through September 2022. Whistleblowers Sunil Wadhwa and Ken Newton will receive $225,000, and the department says the claims are allegations only, with no determination of liability.
Justice News
DOJ’s Fraud Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District Minnesota Uncover Nearly $30M in Benefits Fraud in Enforcement Surge
The Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Minnesota announced a series of enforcement actions against fraud in Medicaid and SNAP programs. The department says the surge uncovered nearly $30M in benefits fraud.
Justice News
Justice Department Charges 18 More in North Carolina with Illegally Voting in 2024 Election
The Justice Department says 18 more people in North Carolina were indicted for illegally voting in the 2024 election, across the state's Eastern, Middle and Western districts. The new cases bring the statewide total indicted this year to 30.
Wipfli
Wipfli Outlines What a Democratic-Led Congress Could Mean for Taxes, Tariffs and Regulations
Wipfli says the midterm elections returned majority control of both houses of Congress to the Democratic Party, and its tax and advisory professionals are outlining the possible effects on businesses. The firm notes the current Congress returns on November 9.
Justice News
Syrian Man Sentenced for Wide-Ranging Hacking Conspiracy Conducted on Behalf of the Bashar Al Assad Regime
The Justice Department says a federal court in the Eastern District of Virginia sentenced Ahmad Umar Agha to 42 months in prison for his role in a hacking conspiracy led by members of Bashar Al-Assad's inner circle. The department says the conspiracy ran from as early as Aug. 24, 2011, to Jan. 31, 2014.
Justice News
Botox Fraud Doctor Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison for $45M Medicare Scheme
The Justice Department says California doctor Violetta Mailyan was sentenced to 15 years in prison for billing Medicare more than $45 million for Botox injections. The department says the services were medically unnecessary and never provided.
GeoComm, Inc
GeoComm Highlights the Role of Location Intelligence in Federal Alyssa's Law Proposals
GeoComm is addressing the role of location intelligence as Congress considers bipartisan school safety legislation inspired by Alyssa's Law. The company says the proposals point to a model in which emergency alerts, 9-1-1 and response-ready maps work together.
This roundup is written with AI assistance from the press releases listed above, using only what they state. The releases are the companies' own announcements, not Times Beats reporting.