Tycko & Zavareei LLP | Whistleblower Law Firm

If you are a current employee of a company or organization that is engaged in customs fraud against the government, you should not communicate with your whistleblower attorney (or anyone else) about the fraud through your office computer, work email, or work telephone. Communications made that way may not be secure and may provide a basis for your employer to take disciplinary action against you. Instead, use a home computer or personal telephone, and if you communicate by email, always use a personal email address. Many attorneys, including the qui tam attorneys at Tycko & Zavareei LLP, will provide you with an initial consultation and advice without requiring you to make any commitments or pay any fees. You should not discuss the matter with anyone other than an attorney, as your discussions with others may not be confidential. Furthermore, you run the risk that someone else may learn of the customs fraud and bring a qui tam lawsuit before you do, undermining your right to an award.

Evasion of tariffs imposed under anti-dumping or countervailing duty orders (AD/CVD orders), either by transshipping the goods through third countries or by misclassifying the goods under the Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) to make U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) believe that the goods are outside the scope of the AD/CVD orders. Evasion of Section 301 tariffs either through transshipping or misclassification under the HTS. Falsifying the value or quantity of imported goods, including the use of altered or forged invoices or other documents, leading to underpayment of duties. Falsification of other information submitted to CBP on the Entry Summary, CBP Form 7501, leading to underpayment of duties. Failing to properly mark imported goods with the country of origin, either by failing to include any country-of-origin marks, marking using improper methods, or marking with the wrong country of origin.

No. Finding a whistleblower attorney that you feel will effectively and aggressively represent your interests is much more important than finding one that is local. Attorneys who handle False Claims Act qui tam cases routinely work on cases around the country, and not just in the city or state where they have offices. The qui tam attorneys at Tycko & Zavareei LLP routinely represent whistleblowers in cases throughout the United States.

Qui tam lawsuits can take hundreds, or in some cases thousands, of hours of attorney time. If you had to pay the attorneys on an hourly basis, the fees would become prohibitive to most potential whistleblowers. Luckily, many attorneys who handle qui tam cases, like the qui tam attorneys at Tycko & Zavareei LLP, are willing to do so for a “contingency fee.” This means that the attorneys do not charge by the hour for their time. Instead, they agree to accept a percentage of your recovery as their fee, and they take on the risk that, if you do not obtain any recovery, they will not be paid. Different whistleblower lawyers may be willing to offer different terms. If you are seriously considering pursuing a qui tam lawsuit, you may wish to contact several qui tam law firms, and find one that you believe will do excellent work while offering you favorable contingency-fee terms.

Whistleblower retaliation is illegal under federal law. Under the False Claims Act whistleblower protection provision, an employer may not discharge, demote, suspend, threaten, harass or discriminate against an employee for bringing a qui tam case. If the employer violates that prohibition, the employee can sue the employer for damages (such as lost wages) and other relief. Thus, the False Claims Act offers protection to an employee who blows the whistle on his or her employer. Most similar state false claims laws also have these types of anti-retaliation provisions.

Yes. Subject to some exceptions, a qui tam case under the False Claims Act must be brought within six (6) years of when the fraud occurred. But if you have knowledge of fraud against the government, and are considering a qui tam action, you should not delay. If you wait too long, you may lose your right to obtain a relator’s award. If someone else discloses the fraud, or brings another qui tam action before you do, then you may lose your chance for an award.

Yes. A group of whistleblowers can jointly bring a False Claims Act qui tam case. In some cases, this may be beneficial because different people may have different information that, when combined, works to powerfully prove the fraud.

If you've learned of fraud against the government from the news or another public source of information, you generally won't be able to bring a qui tam lawsuit based on that information alone. This is due to the “public disclosure bar” that is part of the False Claims Act. However, under the case law interpreting the public disclosure bar, a whistleblower who uses publicly-available data or information as part of a broader effect to uncover a fraud may still be able to bring a successful case, as long as the fraud itself has not previously been made public.

The False Claims Act potentially covers all types of false or fraudulent statements made by a company or individual for the purposes of obtaining money from the government. The False Claims Act also contains a provision that covers “reverse false claims.” This provision prohibits the making of false statements for the purpose of avoiding an obligation to pay money to the government. The False Claims Act also contains a number of specific exceptions, the most important of which is an exception for tax fraud. However, a separate law covers tax fraud, and also provides for monetary rewards to any tax fraud whistleblower who reports large tax fraud schemes.

Yes. Tycko and Zavareei LLP has successfully represented health care fraud whistleblowers in cases against pharmaceutical companies, laboratories, medical practice groups, home healthcare providers, Medicaid contractors, online pharmacies, and medical equipment companies. While working for the US Department of Justice, Tycko & Zavareei partner Renee Brooker received the Attorney General's "Highest Award for Fraud Prevention" for sizeable recoveries after winning a case that resulted in $2.5 billion in Medicaid and Medicare recoveries. Tycko and Zavareei LLP has also obtained one of the largest whistleblower awards to date for a healthcare fraud kickback scheme.

If you have questions pertaining to a whistleblower case or class action case, please feel free to contact us at (202) 946-3798, or reach out via email by filling out our confidential case evaluation form on our website.

If you have questions regarding a class action case you can contact us by phone to schedule a consultation at (202) 946-3798, or you can reach us via email by filling out our confidential case evaluation form on our website.

Yes, we offer free consultations for clients looking to pursue qui tam and class action cases. You can schedule your consultation by phone at (202) 946-3798, or via email by filling out our confidential case evaluation form.

Yes. Tycko and Zavareei specializes in class action and whistleblower cases. Our attorneys have successfully obtained class certification, the most critical step in winning a class action, and have successfully conducted contested fairness hearings and obtained approval of class action settlements.

Yes. Tycko and Zavareei has a team of elite qui tam attorneys who have successfully handled some of the largest fraud recovery cases to date.

Yes. Tycko and Zavareei LLP serves the Washington DC area and the United States as a whole. In addition, Tycko and Zavareei is also able to represent international qui tam relators in whistleblower cases.