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Whistleblower Lawyer Blog

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Whistleblower Attorneys Discuss False Claims Act Amendments & “The Most Pressing Issues in Representing Whistleblowers”

At the 20th Annual Convention of NELA, the National Employment Lawyers Association, I recently had the pleasure of moderating a panel discussion of some of the country’s top “whistleblower” lawyers. The topic was “The Most Pressing Issues in Representing Whistleblowers.” Joining me in this panel discussion were Richard Renner and…

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New SEC Whistleblower Program & Hedge Fund Investor Protections On Way, to Supplement IRS Whistleblower Program? Congress & SEC Consider Changes After Madoff, Stanford Schemes

Could a meaningful SEC “whistleblower” program prevent the next Madoff or Stanford debacle? The SEC and legislators are now seriously considering that question. That Madoff managed to defraud investors for so long proves that the current system is inadequate. Past experience proves that incentives to whistleblowers to report illegal acts…

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SEC “Bounties” for Whistleblowers–The Statute

The statute authorizing the SEC in insider trading cases to pay whistleblowers “bounties” of up to 10% of civil penalties is below. (See our separate post discussing why the SEC needs a new, meaningful whistleblower program to help stop the next Madoff scheme.) 15 U.S.C. § 78u-1 § 78u-1. Civil…

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False Claims Act Amendments Become Law Today, and Justice Department Expands Health Care Fraud Task Force

Today was a monentous day for those who believe in integrity in how taxpayer funds are treated. President Obama signed into law today the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009, which makes important amendments to the country’s most important tool for fighting fraud, the False Claims Act. Also important…

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Interview with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock on “Best Practices in Pursuing IRS Whistleblower Claims” Is Released

Last Fall, and again in March 2009, whistleblower lawyer blog co-author Michael A. Sullivan had the pleasure of sitting down with IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock, for an in-depth interview on the “best practices” for lawyers in pursuing IRS Whistleblower claims for their whistleblower clients. The interview has just…

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Major Whistleblower Law Development–False Claims Act Amendments Pass House of Representatives, As Part of the “Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009”

Today is an historic day–the House of Representatives has passed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 by a vote of 367-59. The Act includes long-needed amendments to the nation’s primary anti-fraud law, the False Claims Act, about which we have written often. The amendments are designed to protect…

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Fraud Against TARP Funds A Real Threat, Warns Special Inspector General for TARP

We have written previously how the “bailout” measures such as TARP–the Troubled Assets Relief Program–and other “stimulus” measures must have effective oversight,disclosure, and anti-fraud provisions to protect those funds from those who look to commit fraud. The speed at which the government has acted to address the faltering economy will…

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False Claims Act Amendments Gain Momentum In Bill to Combat Financial Fraud

New legislation to combat financial institution fraud, securities fraud, mortgage fraud, and other fraud and abuse is gaining momentum, and brings closer long-needed amendments to restore to its intended strength the nation’s major “whistleblower” law, the False Claims Act. The Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act of 2009 (S. 386) received…

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Tax Evasion Using Offshore Accounts Establishes Fraud, As IRS Prevails Against Statute of Limitations Argument

A frequent question in our IRS Whistleblower cases is how IRS Whistleblower claims are affected by the statute of limitations. In long-running violations of the tax laws, that question can determine how much of past tax liability the IRS may be able to recover. Yesterday, the Tax Court issued a…

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IRS Announces New List of “Dirty Dozen” Tax Scams

In our March 7, 2009 “IRS Whistleblower Boot Camp,” IRS Whistleblower Office Director Steve Whitlock mentioned that the IRS’s priorities include the “Dirty Dozen”–a list of tax scams that is updated yearly. The IRS has just issued its 2009 “Dirty Dozen” list, which should be of interest to potential IRS…

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