Today marks one year since the Senate declared July 30 “National Whistleblower Appreciation Day”. The Senate established the day in an effort to honor the tremendous efforts made by those individuals brave enough to come forward and expose fraud, abuse, waste and corruption.
“Whistleblowers are critical to the protection of American consumers and taxpayers,” commented Christopher Paulos, an attorney with the Levin, Papantonio who practices in the areas of qui tam or whistleblower and False Claims Act litigation. “Those that defraud the government are stealing from the public coffers, and hurt all of us that pay our taxes or rely on the government resources those funds provide.”
Beyond the establishment of National Whistleblower Appreciation Day, the senate’s resolution (S.Res 202) also seeks to implement “the intent of the Founding Fathers… by encouraging each executive agency to recognize ‘National Whistleblower Appreciation Day’,” according to the National Whistleblower Center.
Individuals who have knowledge of fraud being committed against the government by a corporation or an individual have many tools available to them. The False Claims Act provides incentives and protections to whistleblowers. People with knowledge of fraud against the government may file a lawsuit against the wrongdoer on the behalf of the government.
“If someone has information about an entity defrauding the government, I encouraged them to contact an experienced attorney,” Mr. Paulos continued. “It is important that they take the necessary and proper steps to expose the wrongdoing as well as protect themselves and ensure that theyare justly compensated for their efforts, as the law provides.”
Joshua is a writer and researcher with Ring of Fire. You can follow him on Twitter @Joshual33.
