The OIG has released the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control (HCFAC) Program Annual Report for FY 2008. The HCFAC program is designed to coordinate federal, state and local law enforcement activities focused on health care fraud and abuse. Among other things, the report announces that the federal government won or negotiated approximately $1 billion in health care fraud judgments and settlements in FY 2008. Including the FY 2008 recoveries, the HCFAC account has returned over $13.1 billion to the Medicare Trust Fund since the program began in 1997. Also during FY 2008, U.S. Attorneys’ Offices opened 957 new criminal health care fraud investigations, and federal prosecutors had a total of 1,600 health care fraud criminal investigations pending. There were 588 defendants convicted for health care fraud-related crimes during the year. With regard to civil cases, the Department of Justice opened 843 new civil health care fraud investigations and had 1,311 civil health care fraud investigations pending at the end of the fiscal year.