Whistleblower reports are getting more rampant in the country, showing the increased incidence of fraudulent and criminal activity by some of the biggest organizations. For example, in Florida, the University of Miami was recently forced to fork out millions in fines after a whistleblower accused the educational institution of Medicare fraud.
According to an official case document from the Department of Justice (DOJ), a former senior executive at the school had raised an alarm over Medicare fraud occurring in its healthcare system. The executive had pointed out that the university’s healthcare system had engaged in three practices that violated the False Claims Act.
The False Claims Act is one of the strongest whistleblower laws in the United States. It is also the country’s first whistleblower law, being signed into law in 1863 by President Lincoln. Under the law, whistleblowers can be rewarded for disclosing fraud that results in financial losses to the federal government in a confidential manner.
Provided that the whistleblower’s information results in a prosecution, the whistleblower is awarded a reward between 15 and 30 percent of the proceeds collected....