WHISTLEBLOWER AWARDS IN EXCESS OF $14 MILLION IN 2013

The SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower (OWB) awarded individuals over $14 million in 2013 for their “significant and original contributions” to successful enforcement of the securities laws. The OWB is now in its 3rd full year and the number of tips and complaints is trending upward. OWB reports that it received 3,001 tips and complaint in 2012 and 3,238 in 2013. These numbers are certain to increase as the OWB continually expands the whistleblower laws.

For example, in July 2013, a new pilot program was put into place that protected federal grant workers from whistleblower retaliation. In a nutshell, the new program is designed to protect an employee from employment retaliation for reporting mismanagement of a federal grant or contract funding. An employee who claims to have been retaliated against must file a claim with the Inspector General of the agency involved. If no retaliation is found, the employee can then file a complaint in federal court. If successful, in addition to reinstatement and back pay, attorneys’ fees and costs will also be awarded
Last month I discussed the new path the Securities and Exchange Commission was embarking upon in its efforts to enforce the securities laws from the outside in with the use of deferred prosecution agreements. I noted this was a philosophical change made from the highest levels of the SEC to pursue companies that violate the securities law by targeting employees of suspected target companies. The questions you need to ask yourself as an employee of a company that is involved in fraud are; do I wait until the government agency contacts me as part of its investigation, or do I contact the government agency when I have knowledge of my employer’s widespread fraud? By contacting the government first, you may be entitled to a piece of the substantial awards discussed above. In addition, by taking preemptive action you can protect yourself from being brought down by fellow employees who allege you were part of the fraud.

Whether you were part of a fraud and want to get out with a deferred prosecution agreement, or just want to do the right thing and stop the fraudulent activity that is presently happening at your company, navigating these waters are dangerous. At Danziger Shapiro we can assist you with these difficult decisions. Please call our office to set up a consultation.

This entry is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.