In the United States, ordinary people can file lawsuits targeting fraud committed at federal taxpayers’ expense. It’s a centuries-old American tradition dating to 1778. Today’s whistleblowers operate under the provisions of the False Claims Act, enacted in 1863 and considered to be one of the most effective tools of the federal government to combat fraud.¬†
From 1986 to 2020, the False Claims Act recovered more than $64 billion in taxpayer money.
In 2020 alone, there were 672 False Claims Act cases filed by whistleblowers, leading to over $1.6 billion in recoveries for federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid, continuing a long legacy of ordinary people fighting for what’s right. On average, more than 12 qui tam lawsuits were filed by whistleblowers every week.¬†
The False Claim Act’s qui tam provision provides for incentives for the whistleblower, called a “relator,‚Äù under the False Claims Act so that he or she is entitled to receive part of the proceeds of a victory on behalf of the government. While the amount of the relator’s award varies based on the circumstances of each case, from 1986 to 2020, whistleblowers received over $7.8 billion in awards.¬†
The False Claims Act is useless without whistleblowers. The government needs the help of everyday men and women to assist in uncovering and prosecuting fraud.
Types of Qui Tam Whistleblower Cases
Over 80 percent of 2020 recoveries came in healthcare. But healthcare fraud isn’t the only area the False Claims Act covers. The False Claims Act applies to fraud involving any federally funded contract or program, except in cases of tax fraud. In 2020, taxpayer money was also recovered in areas of defense, national security, mineral rights, small business programs, U.S. postal service, and education.
We’ve worked on all kinds of whistleblower qui tam cases. It’s impossible to list all the types of cases prosecuted under the False Claims Act, but here’s a general idea:
- Medicare, Medicaid & TRICARE Fraud
- Defense & Homeland Security Contract Fraud
- Education & Research Fraud
- Government Contractor & Procurement Fraud
