The federal, state, and local False Claims Acts (FCAs) are powerful tools to assist the government in recovering the billions of dollars stolen from the government’s coffers each year through fraud and the filing of false or fraudulent claims by all sorts of government contractors and other recipients of government funds.

The “qui tam” provisions of FCAs provide whistleblowers with the ability to assist the government in fighting fraud through a public-private partnership.  The federal, state, and local FCAs are generally targeted at those who knowingly submit, or cause someone else to submit, false or fraudulent claims for payment with government funds; those who knowingly make, use or cause others to make or use false statements or records; those who knowingly conceal or avoid or decrease obligations to pay the government; and those who conspire to commit these acts.

Whistleblowers, or relators, generally discover and provide evidence of fraud or false claims that the government would not otherwise discover or be able to prove.  Through the FCAs’ public-private partnerships, the government and whistleblowers work together to fight fraud and recover for the government.  For their role, whistleblowers are rewarded with a portion of the government’s recovery.