Recently, Nolan & Auerbach, P.A. partners and nearly three hundred government and qui tam attorneys gathered at the United States Department of Justice, in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the modern False Claims Act. This celebration included presentations by Attorney General Eric Holder, Assistant Attorney General Tony West, and congressional fraud-fighting champions Senator Patrick Leahy and Congressman Howard Berman. This special event also included a panel discussion that spotlighted the benefits of the False Claims Act’s public-private law enforcement partnership.

Since the False Claims Act was modernized in 1986, the federal government has used the Act to return over $30 billion to the US Treasury. Attorney General Holder noted that of that figure, $20 billion in recoveries were reported as the result of qui tam whistleblower actions, including Medicare fraud and Medicaid fraud.

Assistant Attorney General West highlighted the tremendous recent success of the Act, which was recently updated in 2009. Specifically, West noted that over 25% of all dollars recovered under Act have been realized since 2009. Notably, during this three-year span, 84% of the recoveries were the result of whistleblower-initiated False Claims Act actions.

Senator Leahy and Congressman Berman, co-sponsors of the recent False Claims Act Amendments of 2009, echoed their support for the Act’s public-private partnership. They encouraged the audience to continue the fight against government fraud, especially as the country faces mounting fiscal concerns.

More information for healthcare fraud whistleblowers is located at the Nolan & Auerbach, P.A. website.