Ankur J. Goel is a partner in the law firm of McDermott Will & Emery LLP based in its Washington, D.C. office.
Ankur has experience in both government and the private sector, where he has assisted clients successfully navigate significant litigation and enforcement matters.
Prior to entering private practice, Ankur was selected to the prestigious Attorney General’s Honors Program, where he prosecuted federal criminal fraud offenses. As a federal prosecutor, Ankur tried numerous cases before federal juries, and directed grand jury investigations of large scale, complex fraud matters, including health care, securities, government contracting, and consumer frauds. Additionally, he was an original member of the Attorney General’s Health Care Fraud Prosecution Unit.
Subsequently, as counsel to U.S. Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr. in his capacity as chairman of the United States Senate Judiciary Committee, Ankur advised on and negotiated legislation in the areas of crime, health care fraud and administrative law, among others.
In private practice, Ankur has assisted clients in successfully navigating major disputes with the government, including investigations by the government. Ankur has also helped clients develop and implement preventive measures, including conducting internal investigations and advising clients on responding to issues detected through their internal compliance efforts.
Examples of Ankur’s successful representations include the following.
- Ankur has assisted a group of 62 hospitals that have been underpaid by the Medicare program in amounts in excess of $300 million. Ankur won a ruling in 2008 from a U.S. district court requiring the government to recalculate payments to the hospitals, which will result in more than $300 million in additional payments to the hospitals. The case is presently on appeal.
- Ankur successfully persuaded government officials not to pursue a False Claims Act lawsuit against a health care client. The client had been named in a sealed complaint filed by a whistleblower. Both the government and the whistleblower dropped the case against the client without any adverse publicity.
- Ankur won a ruling from a federal court dismissing a case against a major health care insurer involving the Medicare Advantage program. The case had been filed by a whistleblower under the False Claims Act.
- Ankur persuaded the Securities and Exchange Commission not to bring charges against a corporate executive who was being investigated for aiding and abetting one of its vendors in committing securities fraud.
- Ankur defended a major national hospital chain, helping it resolve litigation involving Medicare reimbursements to hundreds of hospitals throughout the country in an $88 million settlement.
Ankur has been elected by his peers to the Board of Governors of the District of Columbia Bar Association, the second largest mandatory bar association in the United States. Ankur has been named Outstanding Healthcare Fraud and Compliance Lawyers – 2007 by Nightingale’s Healthcare News. He is a frequent author and lecturer on legal matters and was editor of the American Health Lawyers’ Health Care Compliance Legal Issues Manual (2nd Edition). Ankur has also been recognized for his pro bono work in the area of special education law.
Ankur is admitted to practice in the District of Columbia.
Education
- Harvard Law School, J.D., 1989
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1986
