BIg Dipper Update: #5

Can't really go into details now, what with my many deadlines and busy schedule.

The sensational Newsday stories by Sandra Peddie, Eden Laiken and Robert Kessler seem to have gone quiescent, at least for now. But there are comments by Newsday's columnists and writers of letters to the editor.

But once the grand jury comes out with a true bill, everything else will likely be pushed aside to make way for the story on Newsday's front page.

Unless ... Peddie, Laiken and/or Kessler have something in the oven right now, some new angle, some new smoking gun document.

But what if? What if the Federal grand jury does not come up with enough evidence for a criminal indictment?

Well, NY AG Andrew Cuomo's office is investigating. There may be some state criminal indictments.

And there may be some civil causes of action as well. Suppose, for example, that in connection with the employment of Larry Reich or Carol Hoffman or any of the other attorneys who double-dipped, one or more of the school districts received more reimbursement from Federal funds than they were really entitled? This might be the basis for a qui tam False Claims Act action by a private party.

[Disclosure: I once had a FCA case in my legal practice. Uncle Sam settled with my client, and it never made the law books or the newspapers. The rest of the story, interesting as it may be, must remain in the attorney-client privilege file.].

And the involvement of the IRS guy, as noted in the 20 February posting, leads me to belive that there may be evidence of more than just a mix-up of the wrong colors of money.