Crankin’up the HEAT

Crankin’up the HEAT HEAT is the rather odd acronym for the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team. It is the brainchild of Attorney General Holder and Health and Human Services Secretary Sebelius, and despite the great stretches of the imagination it takes to make it work as an acronym (HCFPEAT doesn’t exactly roll...

Power Plant at night, representing CFTC Whistleblower Program

FCA Warming

FCA Warming This is not a good climate in which to be committing fraud against the government. A new article notes that the FCA is on fire, concluding that [u]nprecedented government spending, recent amendments to the FCA, increased fraud enforcement budgets and priorities, skyrocketing FCA recoveries, state legislative and enforcement activities, and the sheer volume of ongoing...

Low Angle View of Office Building Against Clear Sky, representing whistleblower award.

A Whistleblower SNAFU gets Worse

A Whistleblower SNAFU gets Worse Bradley Manning, the U.S. soldier stationed in Iraq who leaked video of a deadly helicopter attack that killed several people, including a Reuters reporter and a cameraman, has been charged with downloading more than 150,00 highly classified diplomatic cables. In a series of chats with a former outlaw hacker, R. Adrian Lamo,...

Why It’s Worth It To Be a Whistleblower

Why It’s Worth It To Be a Whistleblower Many question the worth of being a whistleblower. “Is it worth the time and effort?” “Will I lose my job?” “What good will it bring me?” Overall, “is it worth it?” Being a whistleblower is a tedious process—cases can take years, to hire lawyers you need to...

A Hiker at the Edge of a Scenic Landscape

Shouldn’t We All Be Equally Protected?

Shouldn’t We All Be Equally Protected? If Congress is supposed to make laws to protect people, and if all people are created equal, shouldn’t members of Congress and their employees abide by the same laws as others? Shouldn’t Congressional employees be protected by Congressional legislation as well? The logical answer to these questions would be...

Man Wearing Black Denim Pants With Carrying Hammer on Holster

Independent Watchdogs on OSHA Whistleblowers: A Broken Reflection

Independent Watchdogs on OSHA Whistleblowers: A Broken Reflection Government auditors are blowing the whistle on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the leading investigative branch for workplace safety in the Department of Labor (DOL). The first called foul against OSHA’s whistleblower program came in August, 2010, when the Government Accounting Office (GAO) concluded OSHA...

Whistleblowing Across the Pond

Whistleblowing Across the Pond As one of our writers recently crossed the Atlantic to find out more about governance in Europe, she coincidentally came across this poster. Occupying ad space in numerous places on one of London’s major streets, the poster promotes blowing the whistle on housing fraud. While blowing the whistle on housing fraud...

Statue of Liberty - New York False Claims Act Takes the Lead in the Fight Against Fraud

TARP fraud uncovered: Bank CEO pleads guilty in New York City

TARP fraud uncovered: Bank CEO pleads guilty in New York City The ironies of TARP — the Troubled Assets Relief Program—may take decades to be understood. In the same manner of most great American financial crises, from the days of railroad bribery and trust-busting to world war munitions graft… claims of rights and wrongs are...

Crashing Waves, representing disaster relief fraud and whistleblower retaliation

Whistleblower Actions: Citizens Motivated By Doing Right

Whistleblower Actions: Citizens Motivated By Doing Right In 2006, whistleblower rewards were significantly increased, and the Whistleblower Office created, when President Bush signed into law the Tax Relief and Health Care Law. ” If the Secretary proceeds with any administrative or judicial action based upon information brought to the Secretary’s attention by an individual, the...

Rusty Plant where government contractors work

Qui Tam and Big Oil, All Over Again

Qui Tam and Big Oil, All Over Again When it comes to classic whistleblower cases, oil always comes to the surface. The recurring saga, alleged mismanagement, and waste, of the federal Minerals Management Service (MMS) revealed the recurring nature of oil oversight: and the frustrating, often ignored, role of whistleblowers. In 2007, what was viewed...

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