Will I get a reward for reporting fraud being committed by my employer?

 

Whistleblower rewards programs at federal agencies authorize the payment of awards to corporate whistleblowers, including the whistleblower reward programs at the SEC, IRS, CFTC, and FinCEN.  Since the enactment of the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC has awarded nearly $1.3 billion to whistleblowers, including awards that we have obtained for our clients.

Contact us today to find out the strategies that we have successfully employed to secure whistleblower awards for our whistleblower clients.

Recently the CFTC awarded $200 million to a whistleblower for providing information concerning the manipulation of financial benchmarks used by global banks.

The qui tam provision of the False Claims Act authorizes awards to whistleblowers that disclose fraud on the government.  Qui tam whistleblowers have enabled the federal government to recover more than $70 billion.

Hiring an experienced and effective whistleblower rewards attorney can increase the likelihood of securing a reward for your whistleblowing and can enable you to report fraud anonymously.

To learn more about whistleblower rewards or whistleblower protections, call the whistleblower rewards lawyers at Zuckerman Law for a free confidential consultation at 202-262-8959, or click here. We represent whistleblowers worldwide.

 

 

Before retaining an SEC whistleblower attorney, ask about their track record representing whistleblowers. Some aspects of our experience that set us apart and enabled us to obtain awards for our clients include:

• Matt Stock is a Certified Public Accountant, Certified Fraud Examiner and former KPMG external auditor.  As an auditor, Mr. Stock developed an expertise in financial statement analysis and internal controls testing and fraud recognition.  He uses his auditing experience to help IRS, CFTC and SEC whistleblowers investigate and disclose complex financial frauds to the government and develop a roadmap for enforcement attorneys to take an enforcement action.  Matt has been interviewed on CNBC, quoted extensively about whistleblower rewards in the media, and is the lead author of SEC Whistleblower Program: Tips from SEC Whistleblower Attorneys to Maximize an SEC Whistleblower Award. Recently the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners published a profile of SEC whistleblower lawyer Matt Stock’s success working with whistleblowers to fight fraud:

• Dallas Hammer has extensive experience representing whistleblowers in retaliation and rewards claims and has helped whistleblowers secure award for reporting fraud on the government, foreign bribery, and accounting fraud.  He was selected by his peers to be included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of employment law in 2021 and 2022.
• Described by the National Law Journal as a “leading whistleblower attorney,” founding Principal Jason Zuckerman has established precedent under a wide range of whistleblower protection laws and obtained substantial compensation for his clients and recoveries for the government in whistleblower rewardsand whistleblower retaliation cases.  He served on the Department of Labor’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee, which makes recommendations to the Secretary of Labor to improve OSHA’s administration of federal whistleblower protection laws.  Zuckerman also served as Senior Legal Advisor to the Special Counsel at the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, the federal agency charged with protecting whistleblowers in the federal government.  At OSC, he oversaw investigations of whistleblower claims and obtained corrective action or relief for whistleblowers.
• Zuckerman was recognized by Washingtonian magazine as a “Top Whistleblower Lawyer” (2020, 2018, 2017, 2015, 2009, and 2007), selected by his peers to be included in The Best Lawyers in America® in the category of employment law (2011-2022) and in SuperLawyers in the category of labor and employment law (2012 and 2015-2022), is rated 10 out of 10 by Avvo, based largely on client reviews, and is rated AV Preeminent® by Martindale-Hubbell based on peer reviews

SEC Whistleblower Reward Program

Since 2012, the SEC has awarded more than $1.2 billion to whistleblowers.  The SEC Whistleblower Program allows whistleblowers to submit anonymous tips to the SEC if represented by an attorney.  A whistleblower can be eligible for an award for reporting 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 securities offerings;
• Investment adviser fraud;
• Broker-dealer anti-money laundering program violations;
• False or misleading statements about a company or investment;
• Inadequate internal controls;
• Deceptive non-GAAP financial measures;
• Improper revenue recognition;
• Violations of auditor independence rules;
• Misleading or incomplete cybersecurity disclosures; and
• Blockchain fraud.

Under SEC’s Dodd-Frank Act whistleblower reward program, whistleblowers who voluntarily provide original information to the SEC can receive between 10 percent and 30 percent of the sanctions recovered by the SEC. The largest SEC whistleblower awards to date are:

• $114 million,
• $50 million,
• $50 million,
• $39 million, and
• $37 million.

See our column in Forbes: One Billion Reasons Why The SEC Whistleblower-Reward Program Is Effective.

Download our free guide to the SEC whistleblower program:

If you have information that you would like to report to the SEC Whistleblower Office, contact the experienced SEC whistleblower lawyers at Zuckerman Law for a free, confidential consultation.

See our MarketWatch column: More than 33,000 tips, $2.5 billion in financial remedies and $500 million in awards to investors — the SEC’s whistleblower program turns 10 years old today

How Our SEC Whistleblower Lawyers Can Help You Obtain an SEC Whistleblower Award

SEC Whistleblower Process to Report Fraud and Obtain an SEC Whistleblower Award

False Claims Act Qui Tam Whistleblower Rewards

Whistleblowers have enabled the federal government to recover more than $60 billion.  Call us to find out if you may have a qui tam case.

• What types of false claims are prohibited by the False Claims Act?
• What is the first-to-file bar in False Claims Act qui tam cases?
• What is the requirement to file a False Claims Act qui tam action under seal?
• What is the statute of limitations for a False Claims Act qui tam action?
• What is the public disclosure bar in the False Claims Act?
• What is materiality under the False Claims Act?
• What is “Scienter” Under the False Claims Act?
• Is a Violation of the Anti-Kickback Law Also a Violation of the False Claims Act?
• Does the False Claims Act Prohibit Bid-Rigging?
• Does the False Claims Act Prohibit Fraudulent Inducement of a Contract?
• Can a violation of Good Manufacturing Practices give rise to False Claims Act Liability?
• Is there a heightened pleading requirement for False Claims Act qui tam cases?

Whistleblower Protections for Reporting Fraud

Several whistleblower protection and whistleblower retaliation laws protect whistleblowers reporting fraud and other wrongdoing to their employer or the government, including the following:

• Sarbanes-Oxley Act (protecting whistleblower disclosures about violations of SEC rules and regulations; violations of federal laws related to fraud against shareholders; or mail, wire, bank or securities fraud).  Download our free ebook, Sarbanes-Oxley Whistleblower Protection: Robust Protection for Corporate Whistleblowers.
• Taxpayer First Act (protecting whistleblowing about tax fraud or tax underpayment)
• Dodd-Frank Act (protecting whistleblowing to the SEC and CFTC)
• False Claims Act and NDAA (protecting whistleblowers working for federal contractors)
• Consumer Financial Protection Act (protecting disclosures concerning consumer financial protection)

Leading whistleblower rewards firm Zuckerman Law represents whistleblowers nationwide.  If you are seeking representation in a whistleblower retaliation or whistleblower protection case, click here, or call us at 202-262-8959 to schedule a confidential consultation.

In 2019, the National Law Review awarded Jason Zuckerman its “Go-To Thought Leadership Award” for his analysis of developments in whistleblower law. We represent whistleblowers nationwide.

Dodd-Frank SEC Whistleblower Protection

Protections for SEC Whistleblowers Post-Digital Realty (11-6-2020) whistleblower_lawyers_012017_infographic