Exposing Fraud Committed Against the Government
Qui Tam Litigation under the Federal False Claims Act’s Reward Program
We work with whistleblowers to expose government fraud.
Fraud against the government takes many forms, from intentional overcharges by defense contractors to false Medicare claims — leaving taxpayers to foot the bill.
Whistleblower (or “qui tam,” pronounced “key-tam”) complaints allow individuals — called “relators” — to bring a lawsuit on behalf of the government, as well as themselves, to expose fraudulent practices that compromise the integrity of government programs and that waste the money of hardworking taxpayers.
In a successful whistleblower case, the relator can share as much as 30% of the money recovered by the government. Since government contracting is such large business, these recoveries can be large as well. For qui tam cases filed under the False Claims Act, the law is designed to protect whistleblowers from retaliation by their employers and to make it worthwhile to report fraud.
Get Rewarded For Blowing The Whistle
Qui tam lawsuits allow whistleblowers to be rewarded for the professional and personal risks they take to expose and stop fraud – fraud that can endanger the lives of U.S. soldiers, patients and others.
It takes courage to do the right thing.
Fear of retaliation is on the mind of virtually every whistleblower. That fear is not unfounded. Those who are powerful and unscrupulous enough to defraud the government may also try to retaliate against honest individuals who have the courage to speak out. The law does provide protections. A whistleblower can sue for retaliation and obtain a judgment of two times back pay, plus interest, reinstatement damages and special damages.
More Protections For Whistle Blowers
In addition, False Claims Act complaints are filed under seal, which allows the Department of Justice time to investigate. Initially, the defendant will not know the identity of the whistleblower who filed suit. Eventually, though, that information may come to light. You should have an experienced Qui Tam attorney on your side.
Because of the bravery of whistleblowers, many fraudulent or dangerous schemes have been exposed and billions of dollars recovered by the government and paid to relators. The financial incentives exist for a purpose. To fight fraud, government officials desperately need the information that only a whistleblower who is on the inside can provide.
Once a person has evidence of fraud against the government and decides to blow the whistle, that person needs to find a lawyer to represent him/her.
Preventing Fraud With The False Claims Act
Fraud can take many forms. There is an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) qui tam law for reporting major tax fraud, as well as laws designed to encourage reporting of financial fraud through the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
There are medical and defense contracting whistleblowers, environmental whistleblowers, financial whistleblowers, tax whistleblowers, and the majority of states have their own whistleblower laws. Whistleblowers are a force for change and reform.
- Defense Contractor / Procurement Fraud
- IRS Whistleblower Reward Program
- Customs-Duty Fraud / Trade Agreement Fraud
- Medicare and Medicaid Fraud
- Pharmaceutical Fraud / Adulterated Products / Off-Label Promotion / Kickbacks
- Corporate Whistleblower Fraud Rewards (Dodd-Frank Act)
- Securities and Commodities Fraud
- Anti-Kickback Violations
- Grant Fraud / Educational Subsidy Fraud
- Guaranteed Loan Program Fraud (FHA / VA / HUD)
The attorneys at Mastando & Artrip are skilled lawyers who have extensive state and federal experience. The legal practice at Mastando & Artrip extends beyond the State of Alabama and reaches New York and Washington, DC. Let us put our Qui Tam experience to work for you. Let us be your voice.