DOJ Official Highlights Use of Qui Tam in Customs Enforcement

Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio pointed to the whistleblower provisions in the False Claims Act as an important method for enforcing customs laws. The Justice Department is using the FCA "to prevent companies from flouting our customs laws," he said in a June 14 speech at an American Bar Association event on qui tam enforcement. "Over the last five years, the Department has recovered more than $100 million in settlements involving the evasion or underpayment of import duties for a wide variety of merchandise." Panuccio said DOJ will also use the FCA "against any entities involved in the opioid distribution chain who engage in the abuse and illegal diversion of opioids -- from pharmaceutical manufacturers and distributors, to pharmacies, to pain management clinics and physicians."