Constantine Cannon Celebrates a Record-Shattering Year of Whistleblower Rewards
It has been a big year for our whistleblower clients
Read MoreWhistleblower Reward Laws
Information for potential whistleblowers about the available whistleblower reward laws and programs
What is a whistleblower reward?
In many instances, the government incentivizes individuals, and companies, to report fraud and other unlawful activity by offering a monetary reward to whistleblowers.
Under the False Claims Act and other whistleblower reward laws and programs, whistleblowers who bring original information to the government can be entitled to receive a share of the government’s recovery.
These financial rewards serve as the basis of a public-private partnership between whistleblowers and the government agencies charged with investigating and prosecuting fraudsters.
Whistleblower Reward Laws and Programs
A number of laws provide for financial awards to successful whistleblowers. These include:
- The federal False Claims Act, for cases alleging fraud involving federal government funds.
- State False Claims Acts and their equivalent, for cases alleging fraud involving state government funds.
- The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Reward Program, created by the Dodd-Frank Act, for cases involving violations of securities law.
- The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Whistleblower Reward Program, created by the Dodd-Frank Act, for cases involving violations of the Commodity Exchange Act.
- The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Whistleblower Reward Program, for cases of tax fraud.
- New Program: DOJ Corporate Whistleblower Awards Pilot Program, for cases involving financial fraud, healthcare fraud, or bribery/corruption, that are not covered by existing whistleblower programs.
In addition, there are a number of whistleblower programs that apply in specific industries or to specific types of wrongdoing.
These include:
- The Motor Vehicle Safety Whistleblower Act, for whistleblowers reporting safety-related problems in vehicles.
- The Anti-Money Laundering & Sanctions Whistleblower Program, for whistleblower reporting on violations of U.S. sanctions laws or the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA), the primary anti-money laundering enforcement law.
- The Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Rewards Program, which offers an award of up to $5 million for whistleblowers who provide information that leads to the seizure, restraint, or forfeiture of assets linked to foreign government corruption.
- Acts in California and Illinois for whistleblowers reporting fraud against private insurers.
- FIRREA, the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery, and Enforcement Act, for whistleblowers reporting frauds involving federally insured financial institutions.
- The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships, for whistleblowers reporting unlawful ocean dumping.
- Wildlife protection laws providing for whistleblower rewards.
- Colorado’s Public Health Emergency Whistleblower (PHEW) Act provides protections to essential workers and individuals who act to further workplace safety and health. In addition, the PHEW Act allows for whistleblowers to file qui tam actions and receive a share of any government recovery.
- Some states also provide awards for whistleblowers who disclose securities law violations to state authorities. Currently, such state securities whistleblower laws have been enacted in Indiana, Montana, and Utah.
Learn more about being a whistleblower:
The descriptions of the whistleblower programs on our website is general in nature, and not intended as legal advice.
The whistleblower attorneys of Constantine Cannon understand the complicated, constantly changing landscape of state and federal whistleblower laws. If you would like more information or would like to speak to a member of Constantine Cannon’s whistleblower lawyer team, please Contact us for a Confidential Consultation.
