Qui Tam
In brief summary, a Qui Tam or “Whistleblower” case allows ordinary citizens to collect money when they “catch” a person or a company defrauding the Federal Government. The law behind qui tam cases is called the Federal Civil False Claims Act, or Informer’s Act. The Act protects “whistleblowers” from being fired or discriminated against in terms of their employment if they report their employer. The most common “whistleblowers” are employees, former employees, competitors and subcontractors, state and local governments and federal employees.
Typical Cases involve:
- Buying government property fraudulently from an individual who is not authorized to sell the property.
- Holding government property with an intent to defraud the government.
- Plotting to have a false claim paid by the government with another individual.
- Preparing a false record or statement to avoid paying a debt to the government.
- Submitting a record of false or overstated charges to the government for payment.
If you uncover a situation where you believe the government is being defrauded, you have the right to receive between 15 and 30 percent of the amount recovered depending on the government's involvement in the action. Recent Department of Justice statistics show that the average recovery by the government in all qui tam cases where there has been a recovery is $8.6 million, with $1.167 million as the average fee going to the ordinary citizen that reports the fraud. It is very important that you speak with an attorney before speaking to anyone else about a possible qui tam case. Letting others know about the case may compromise your entitlement of the claim, since only the first individual to file a claim has the right to compensation.
Contact an Experienced Attorney
Please contact an experienced Qui Tam attorney at the Pintas & Mullins Law Firm if you suspect that any person, company or entity is involved in defrauding the Government. The need to act quickly is vital because only the first individual to file a claim will have the right to compensation.
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