Whistleblower Lawsuits

Federal False Claims Act Violations

The federal False Claims Act prohibits just about any type of fraud or fraudulent conduct whereby  a person (i.e., an individual, company or other entity) deceives or defrauds the Federal Government in order to improperly obtain money from the Government (or to be improperly relieved from paying money to the Government). 

Specifically, the federal False Claims Act, 31 U.S.C. § 3729, makes it unlawful for any person to:

1. knowingly present, or cause to be presented, to an officer or employee of the United States Government or a member of the Armed Forces of the United States a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval;
2. knowingly make, use, or cause to be made or used, a false record or statement to get a false or fraudulent claim paid or approved by the Government;
3. conspire to defraud the Government by getting a false or fraudulent claim allowed or paid;
4. has possession, custody, or control of property or money used, or to be used, by the Government and, intending to defraud the Government or willfully to conceal the property, delivers, or causes to be delivered, less property than the amount for which the person receives a certificate or receipt;
5. authorize to make or deliver a document certifying receipt of property used, or to be used, by the Government and, intending to defend the Government, make or deliver the receipt without completely knowing that the information on the receipt is true;
6. knowingly buy, or receive as a pledge of an obligation or debt, public property from an officer or employee of the Government, or a member of the Armed Forces, who lawfully may not sell or pledge the property; or
7. knowingly make, use, or cause to be made or used, a false record or statement to conceal, avoid, or decrease an obligation to pay or transmit money or property to the Government

“Knowingly” is defined under the false claims statute as any of the following: (1) actual knowledge of the information; (2) acts in deliberate ignorance of the truth or falsity of the information; or (3) acts in reckless disregard of the truth or falsity of the information.  No proof of specific intent to defraud is required. 
 
The most commonly used of these whistleblower provisions are the first and second, prohibiting the presentation of false claims to the federal government and making false records to get a false claim paid by the federal government. The most frequent cases involve situations in which a defendant corporation overcharges the federal government for goods or services. Other common whistleblower false claims act cases relate to the failure to test a product as required by government specifications or selling defective products.

If you have knowledge about a company or entity that deceived or defrauded the Federal Government in order to improperly obtain money from the Federal Government (or to be improperly relieved from paying money to the Federal Government), tell us your story!

–Report On A Company Committing Fraud Against The Government–

Whistleblowers with knowledge of fraud against the government who successfully bring false claims act lawsuits are typically entitled to an award of between 15 to 30 % percent of any recovery of money or government funds obtained on behalf of the government.

In the last two decades, whistleblowers bringing successful false claims act lawsuits have received false claims act rewards of over $2 billion dollars.

Become a Whistleblower and Share In The Government’s False Claims Act Recovery

–Report On A Company Committing Fraud Against The Government–