In developing its new whistleblower award program, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) should look to the best practices of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Program, says Allison Herren Lee, former SEC Commissioner and currently Of Counsel at the whistleblower firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. Lee commends the DOJ’s decision to develop a whistleblower award program and outlines the key elements of the SEC program in a new article “A Proven Success: The SEC Whistleblower Regime Provides a Roadmap for DOJ’s New Program” published by the Harvard Law School Forum on ..read more

A collection of whistleblower advocacy organizations are warning Congress that a bill aimed at bolstering the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) through monies collected via False Claims Act (FCA) settlements may disadvantage whistleblowers. On April 18, Representative Wagner (R-MO) introduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act in collaboration with Reps. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), and Jim Costa (D-CA). The Act would redirect funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA) into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to address a $600 million cut in funding. The ..read more

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has contacted a number of major banks requesting non-disclosure agreements used in their swaps and clearing businesses to see whether they restrict whistleblowing, according to reporting by Bloomberg. A CFTC Whistleblower Program rule prohibits entities from taking any action to prohibit individuals from contacting the CFTC about potential commodities law violations. This rule covers language in NDAs or other contacts which discourage employees or clients from reporting misconduct. According to Bloomberg, the CFTC “has reached out to a numbe ..read more

Each year, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) sends letters to federal agencies urging them to recognize National Whistleblower Day through educational programming. On April 10, NWC sent out the letters calling for the celebration of National Whistleblower Day 2024 on July 30. For the past ten years, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an annual resolution designating July 30 as National Whistleblower Day. The resolution encourages federal agencies to celebrate by informing employees of their whistleblower rights and “acknowledging the contributions of whistleblowers to combating waste, fr ..read more

Earth Day stands as a testament to the relentless efforts of environmental activists, including whistleblowers, whose courage has been instrumental in exposing environmental crime. Current U.S. whistleblower laws are powerful tools for empowering these whistleblowers. These individuals are the unsung heroes in our fight to protect the planet. However, for their potential to be fully realized, these laws need to be enforced more effectively, encouraging more people to come forward. The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) is a crucial law used to expose environmental crimes. It was enacte ..read more

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently engaged in a “90-day policy sprint” to develop a whistleblower rewards program. Whistleblower advocates have been urging the DOJ to implement best practices found in highly successful whistleblower programs and are now calling on the public to join in the action. National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has issued an Action Alert allowing individuals to write to the DOJ to demand that the DOJ Whistleblower Program is implemented in a way that works for whistleblowers. NWC is calling for the DOJ to offer mandatory awards of 10-30% of the proceeds collecte ..read more

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating claims by a Boeing whistleblower, who raised safety and quality concerns in the production of the 787 Dreamliner. Sam Salehpour, an engineer who worked at Boeing for more than a decade, described in his allegations that problems arose from changes in how the enormous fuselages were fitted and fastened together in the assembly line. According to reporting, the fuselages come in several pieces, not exactly the same shape, and all from different manufacturers, leading to unwanted narrow gaps in between, raising concerns about the company ..read more

On March 22, U.S. Attorney Alamdar S. Hamdani of the Southern District of Texas announced that a physician based in Houston agreed to pay $1.8 million to settle alleged violations of the False Claims Act (FCA). The allegations were brought forward by a qui tam complaint filed by multiple whistleblowers, who alleged that the physician, Dr. Mohammad Athari, had falsely submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid. According to the DOJ’s press release, these “claims were for services that were not reasonable or medically necessary.” Not only was the whistleblowers’ information key for resolving alle ..read more

On April 23, the whistleblower law firm Kohn, Kohn, and Colapinto, LLP, in partnership with the National Whistleblower Center (NWC), will be hosting a free webinar on the topic of “Establishing an Effective DOJ Whistleblower Rewards Program to Fight Corruption Worldwide.” The U.S. Department of Justice is currently engaging in a “90-day policy sprint” to develop a whistleblower reward program. The webinar will feature the Executive Director of NWC, Siri Nelson, and expert whistleblower attorney, Stephen M. Kohn. Nelson and Kohn will highlight the great potential of the DOJ Whistleblower Progra ..read more

Leading up to Tax Day on April 15, whistleblower advocates and a member of Congress spoke about the importance of whistleblowers in effective tax enforcement. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Whistleblower Program offers monetary awards and anti-retaliation protections to individuals reporting large scale tax fraud. On April 10, Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) spoke at a Senate Budget Committee hearing “Sunny Places for Shady People: Offshore Tax Evasion by the Wealthy and Corporations.” Grassley was a key champion of the 2006 law which modernized the IRS Whistleblower Program and during the h ..read more