Whistleblower Attorneys’ Guide to SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys

 

Zuckerman Law, one of the nation’s leading law firms representing whistleblowers in whistleblower rewards and whistleblower retaliation claims, has released an ebook about the SEC’s Whistleblower Program. The SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award, which is available for download here, offers practical tips for whistleblowers and insights that the firm has gained from successfully representing whistleblowers before the SEC.

The rules implementing the SEC Whistleblower Program are complex and there are many potential pitfalls for whistleblowers.  This guide enables whistleblowers to quickly grasp the key facets of the SEC Whistleblower Program and highlight key steps that whistleblowers should take to increase the likelihood of recovering and maximizing an SEC whistleblower award.

SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award is authored by Jason Zuckerman and Matthew Stock.  Stock is a licensed CPA, CFE, and former external auditor who has extensive experience representing whistleblowers under the SEC and IRS Whistleblower Programs.

Since 2012, the SEC has paid more than $1.3 billion in awards to whistleblowers, including multi-million dollar awards to our clients. The largest SEC whistleblower award to date is $114 million. Since the program’s inception, whistleblower tips have enabled the SEC to order more than $5 billion in monetary sanctions against wrongdoers.

Whistleblowers may submit tips anonymously through an attorney. For many whistleblowers, it is imperative that they remain anonymous when submitting information to the SEC.

An experienced SEC whistleblower attorney can skillfully guide whistleblowers through the process, maximizing the likelihood that their identity is not revealed to unauthorized parties. In addition, an experienced SEC whistleblower attorney can maximize the likelihood of recovering an SEC whistleblower award.

Recently the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners published a profile of Matt Stock’s success working with whistleblowers to fight fraud:

Under the program, the SEC is authorized to issue payouts for original information about any violation of the federal securities laws, including:

• Accounting fraud;
• Investment and securities fraud;
• Insider trading;
• Foreign bribery and other FCPA violations;
• EB-5 investment fraud;
• Manipulation of a security’s price or volume;
• Fraudulent securities offerings and Ponzi schemes;
• Hedge fund fraud;
• Unregistered broker-dealers;
• Investment adviser fraud;
• Anti-money laundering (AML) violations;
• False or misleading statements about a company or investment;
• Inadequate internal controls;
• Deceptive non-GAAP financials;
• Improper revenue recognition;
• Violations of auditor independence rules;
• Misleading or incomplete cybersecurity disclosures; and
• Blockchain and cryptocurrency fraud.

If you have information that may qualify for an SEC whistleblower award, contact the Director of our SEC whistleblower practice directly at mstock@zuckermanlaw.com or call our leading SEC whistleblower lawyers at (202) 930-5901 or (202) 262-8959. All inquiries are confidential.

In conjunction with our courageous clients, we have helped the SEC halt multi-million dollar investment schemes, expose violations at large publicly traded companies and return funds to defrauded investors. Read our tips for SEC whistleblowers and Forbes column about the success of the SEC whistleblower program.

How to Qualify for an SEC Whistleblower Award

Tips to Successfully Navigate the SEC Whistleblower Process

In this eguide, the SEC whistleblower lawyers at Zuckerman Law share their experience gained from successfully representing whistleblowers before the SEC concerning the following topics:

Overview of the SEC Whistleblower Program

• What is the SEC Whistleblower Program?
• Can I submit an anonymous tip to the SEC Whistleblower Office?
• What employment protections are available for SEC whistleblowers?
• What violations qualify for an SEC whistleblower award?
• What are the largest SEC whistleblower awards?

Whistleblowers Eligible for an Award

• Who is an eligible SEC whistleblower?
• Can I submit a claim if I had involvement in the fraud or misconduct?
• Can I submit a tip if I agreed to a confidentiality provision in an employment/severance agreement?
• Can compliance personnel, auditors, officers or directors qualify for an SEC whistleblower award?

Reporting to the SEC and Maximizing Award Percentage

• When is the best time to report the fraud or misconduct to the SEC?
• Do I have to report the violation to my company before reporting the violation to the SEC?
• Can I submit an SEC Whistleblower claim if the SEC already has an open investigation into the matter?
• How do I submit a tip to the SEC?
• What type of evidence should I provide to the SEC?
• What factors does the SEC consider when determining the amount of the award?
• Why should I choose the Zuckerman Law to represent me in my SEC whistleblower claim?

After Reporting to the SEC

• What happens after I submit a tip to the SEC?
• How long does it take to receive an SEC whistleblower award?

Click here to download your free copy of the SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award.

If you are seeking representation in an SEC whistleblower bounty case, click here, or call us at 202-262-8959 to schedule a free, confidential consultation.  See our column in Forbes:  One Billion Reasons Why The SEC Whistleblower-Reward Program Is Effective.

In addition to this new guide, the whistleblower attorneys at Zuckerman Law have authored several articles about whistleblower incentives and protections, including:

• Auditors’ and accountants’ guide to SEC whistleblower awards, Accounting Today (April 2017)
• Whistleblower Protections and Incentives for Auditors and Accountants, Accounting Today (May 2016)
• EB-5 Visa Scandal Underscores the Critical Role Whistleblowers Play in Exposing EB-5 Fraud, National Law Review (April 2017)
• SEC Whistleblower Program: Exposing Insider Trading, National Law Review (March 2017)
• 5 Tips for SEC Whistleblowers and Lessons Learned from SEC Whistleblower Awards, National Law Review (March 2017)

• SEC Awards for Disclosures of Foreign Bribery or FCPA Violations, National Law Review (March 2017)
• Whistleblower Rewards and Bounties for Disclosures of Market Manipulation Schemes, National Law Review (February 2017)
• SEC Targeting Investment Adviser Fraud, National Law Review (February 2017)
• Compliance Personnel, Auditors, Officers and Directors Can Obtain SEC Whistleblower Awards, National Law Review (February 2017)
• SEC Whistleblower Program: What is the SEC Form TCR?, National Law Review (February 2017)
• Draining the Swap Requires Robust Whistleblower Protections and Incentives, Emory Corporate Governance and Accountability Review (January 2017)
• Tale of Two Whistleblowers: Lessons Learned from Today’s SEC Whistleblower Award, National Law Review (December 2016)
• Trump Administration Should Avoid Gutting SEC’s Remarkably Successful Whistleblower Reward Program, National Law Review (November 2016)
• Whistleblowers Help CFTC Obtain Record Penalties for Commodities Fraud, National Law Review (November 2016)
• Report Underscores Importance of Whistleblower Rewards and Protections for Internal Auditors, National Law Review (November 2016)

 

Whistleblower Rewards