The Federal False Claims Act dates back to the civil war, the intention of the act is to provide the Federal Government with a tool to combat fraud. Although the act has been on record for many years, it was not until the mid 1980s when it was amended, the amendments expanded the role of those who blew the whistle on perpetrators, increased the financial incentives available to the whistleblower and broke down some existing barriers for a false claims act attorney in Chicago, on behalf of his or her whistleblower client, to bring action against those that were accused of attempting to defraud the government.
The False Claims Act in a nutshell:
The act prohibits individuals or companies from presenting a false claim for payment in an effort to defraud the government; if found guilty, the violator can be fined three times the amount of losses to the treasury, plus civil penalties. Although any fraudulent activity where the government paid a false claim can fall under the False Claims Act, the majority of cases have involved Medicare and government contractors, especially those serving the military.
Who can be a whistleblower?
In the False Claims Act there is a provision that allows anyone to act as a whistleblower, the provision is known as “qui tam” and the whistleblower is known as the “relator.”
The relator is actually filing the case on behalf of the Federal Government. It is a known fact that the government lacks the insider information and resources that are needed to pursue every claim of fraud. Private individuals and their false claims act attorney in Chicago have proven time and time again to be vital in exposing wrongdoers and bringing evidence of fraud that would otherwise never be detected.
In the event the case is successful the whistleblower will be granted anywhere between fifteen to thirty percent of the amount of money recovered by the government.
If you believe you have evidence of fraud being perpetrated against the Federal Government you can hire a false claims act attorney in Chicago and sue on behalf of the government. You are invited to discuss what you know with the Zimmerman Law Offices online at www.attorneyzim.com/practice-areas/false-claims-act/
