False Claims Act
Fraud on public money
When someone bills a public program with false claims, a private person who knows can ask a court to pursue it. That is a qui tam case, and it begins in secret.
How a qui tam case starts
The complaint is filed under seal, so the defendant is not told. The government investigates, then decides whether to take the case over. Either way the person who filed can usually stay in it, and if the case succeeds that person can receive a share of the recovery, set by the statute.
Who tends to know
- Contract managers and estimators
- Quality and compliance staff
- Billing and finance staff
- Employees of a subcontractor who see what the prime contractor bills
What we ask for first
What you saw, when, who else saw it, and what you have kept. Not the originals: we talk about what is yours to keep before anything is copied or shared.
Where false claims turn up
Contracts and parts
Overbilled labor, substituted or mislabeled materials, work that was never done.
Grants and research funds
Money spent on something other than what the award paid for.
Imports and duties
Goods described or valued wrongly at the border to pay less.
Relief and subsidy programs
Money drawn on a statement the applicant knew was untrue.
Not sure it counts as a claim?
Tell us what you saw. We will say whether it fits, and what to leave alone while we find out.
Contingency fees come from any recovery. Costs such as filing and expert fees may be separate; we explain them in writing before you sign.