ABSTRACT
The Justice Department relies upon white-collar informants known as relators or whistleblowers in the fight against corrupt corporate contractors. In a sense, whistleblowers are allowed to take the law into their own hands. Under the False Claims Act (FCA),1 relators can file lawsuits on behalf of the government against persons or corporations who have defrauded the government by submitting false claims for payment for services or materials. As a monetary incentive for insiders to come forward, the whistleblower is eligible to receive anywhere from 15% to 30% of the amount recovered by the government as his reward.2 Not traditionally viewed as informants per se, whistleblowers have reaped significant rewards through qui tam lawsuits.3
