Eric Conn ordered to pay $31 million to government, whistle-blowers in fraud case

A judge has ruled that embattled disability attorney Eric C. Conn should pay $31 million in damages and penalties to the federal government and two former Social Security Administration employees who tried to blow the whistle on his fraudulent conduct.

U.S. District Judge Amul Thapar ruled in the case after a hearing Tuesday, said Mark Wohlander, who represents the whistle-blowers.

The government had sought a total of $31.4 million in the case — $12.2 million in damages and $19.2 million in penalties, based on the maximum penalty of $11,000 for each of the 1,746 fraudulent claims it identified.

Conn’s attorney, Scott White, said that while he respects Thapar’s decision, Conn may appeal the judgment. Conn, who lives in Pikeville, won disability checks for thousands of people in Eastern Kentucky.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/article142822044.html