Whistleblower Cases (Qui-tam)

Whistleblower Attorney, Tampa, FL

Barnett, Bolt, Kirkwood, Long, Koche & Foster, P.A. welcomes the opportunity to represent clients in their capacity as “whistleblowers” of corporate wrongful conduct. If you have knowledge of significant fraud against the governments of the United States or the State of Florida, we can assist you in presenting your claim to the appropriate court, under seal, and in complete confidence, thereby initiating a government investigation. We would serve as your advocate, working with government lawyers and investigators to investigate misconduct and recover appropriate damages. Under federal law, a whistle blower may be eligible for up to 30% of the government’s civil recovery upon the lifting of the seal and the conclusion of the case.

Such whistleblower cases are generally filed under the federal False Claims Act and are known as qui tam cases. The literal translation of qui tam is “who as well,” suggestive of the unique characteristic of such cases by which conscientious private citizens not only share handsomely in the government’s recovery, but actually file the case as a party.

The healthcare and defense industries give rise to the majority of whistle blower cases. Among the most common fact patterns giving rise to such cases are billing of Medicare, Medicaid, or Tricare for goods or services not actually provided in the quantity or quality billed. For example, knowingly billing for a wheelchair when a scooter was provided would violate the False Claims Act. Knowingly billing separately for procedures which are required to be billed at a bundled rate would likewise constitute a violation. Other types of fraud that qualify for the filing of qui tam cases are tax fraud, defense-contract fraud, or any fraud against the government.

With his experience as an FBI agent and federal prosecutor, he brings a great depth of experience to investigating and putting together fraud cases.

Barnett, Bolt, Kirkwood, Long, Koche & Foster, P.A. will handle your whistleblower cases on a contingency fee basis. You will owe no fee unless a recovery is made on your behalf. If you have knowledge of fraud against the government, you should act promptly, because the law requires you to be the original source of the information to qualify for recovery, and virtually any earlier public disclosure of the information, including an earlier filed qui tam action by a competing whistleblower, will defeat your rights. If you believe you have a potential qui tam action, please contact us.