King & Spalding has added a partner to its special matters and government investigations practice in Washington.
John Richter, formerly vice president and deputy general counsel at WellCare Health Plans, Inc., will focus his practice on health care investigations and qui tam cases. He joined WellCare in January 2010 at a time when the company was accused of False Claims Act violations.
"Wellcare at the time was facing a whole bunch of civil and criminal issues," Richter said in an interview. "I was asked to come in-house and not only respond and work through those issues, but help the company put itself back in a position to avoid those kinds of consequences in the future."
In April, WellCare agreed to a $137.5 million settlement to resolve the allegations.
Richter is also the former U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma and the acting assistant attorney general for the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice.
"I hope to serve as a bridge for our health care practice and government investigations practice," Richter said. "I expect to have my foot in both camps and help those two areas work as effectively as possible on behalf of our clients."
Richter said the firm's leadership, recognized healthcare practice and the collegiality among attorneys attracted him to the firm. "I think it's a group that works well together," he said.
Comments