A “Relator” is another term for whistleblower. The Relator exposes government fraud by reporting it to the government and filing a False Claims Act lawsuit.
The False Claims Act authorizes qui tam lawsuits to assist the government in prosecuting cases to recover damages and penalties for fraud against the government. If the case is successful, the relator can earn a whistleblower reward.
About 80 percent of all fraud cases won under the False Claims Act are a direct result of whistleblower lawsuits. Whistleblower awards under the Federal law have averaged 17% of recoveries. Whistleblowers usually compensate their attorneys by sharing the award.
Usually a qui tam relator is an insider—typically a current or former employee—who has access to confidential information showing that his or her employer has been committing fraud against the government. FCA cases are sometimes referred to as qui tam cases.Feb 21, 2019
Whistleblowers (known as “relators” in qui tam lawsuits) are awarded a whistleblower reward based on a percentage of the money recovered by the government when those recoveries are due to a qui tam lawsuit or claims made under the SEC, CFTC or IRS whistleblower programs.
Qui tam lawsuits are civil suits that are brought by whistleblowers under the False Claims Act to stop many different types of fraud against the government. Some types of fraud that may give rise to a qui tam lawsuit include: Knowingly presenting to the federal government a fraudulent claim for payment.Oct 18, 2021
The mathematical average of the total recoveries (settlements and judgments) for this time period is approximately $3.3 million, with an average whistleblower award of $562,000.
Violations under the federal False Claims Act can result in significant fines and penalties. Financial penalties to the person or organization includes recovery of three times the amount of the false claim(s), plus an additional penalty of $5,500.00 to $11,000.00 per claim.
Examples of practices that may violate the False Claims Act if done knowingly and intentionally, include the following: Billing for services not rendered. Knowingly submitting inaccurate claims for services. Taking or giving a kickback for a referral.
Description: A whistleblower is a person who comes forward and shares his/her knowledge on any wrongdoing which he/she thinks is happening in the whole organisation or in a specific department. A whistleblower could be an employee, contractor, or a supplier who becomes aware of any illegal activities.
The AKS is a criminal law that prohibits the knowing and willful payment of "remuneration" to induce or reward patient referrals or the generation of business involving any item or service payable by the Federal health care programs (e.g., drugs, supplies, or health care services for Medicare or Medicaid patients).
The case netted the largest criminal fine ever imposed in the United States for any matter, $1.195 billion, and the largest civil fraud settlement against any pharmaceutical company. Qui tam "relators" are not eligible to receive shares of criminal fines.