There is the possibility of fraud in any business. Citizens can bring
lawsuits under the
False Claims Act if there is financial fraud that involves cheating the
government. This can include overbilling the government for goods or services or
misrepresenting what services were provided. It also means obtaining or
retaining a government contract by supplying false information about a business
or by bribing public officials or providing kickbacks. A business may also
defraud the government by filing false reports about aspects of the business
that are regulated by the government.
A separate federal law covers businesses or individuals that commit
tax fraud.
If you are aware of a business or employees within a business that are
defrauding the government, the False Claims Act attorneys at Gordon & Doner can
evaluate the strength of your case for free. A successful case can mean a
percentage of the money that is recovered for the whistleblower as a reward.
Contact Gordon & Doner's Florida Qui Tam lawyers
online or call (800) 659-1159.
The False Claims Act attorneys at Gordon & Doner have received professional accolades for their work representing clients in West Palm Beach, Martin County, Stuart, Pembroke Pines, Miami and throughout Florida.
Overbilling and Misrepresentation
We’ve all seen the much publicized examples of defrauding the government’s Department of Defense --$600 for toilet seats and $435 for hammers. Overbilling also can occur when supplying a government agency with items that are known to be defective, substandard or do not meet the terms of the contract. This is known as procurement fraud.
Overbilling does not occur just on goods sold to the government. It also has
occurred on a large scale on the number of hours billed on consulting contracts,
construction projects or research. The results of research projects also can be
misrepresented or falsified. Overbilling also occurs if the government agency
mistakenly overpays for goods or services and the overpayment is not reported by
the business that received the payment.
Other False Reports
Examples where supplying false information can result in a fraud case include:
- Falsifying records in a government regulated industry, such as mining, natural gas and oil extraction or some types of agriculture supported by government programs. Fraud may also occur when companies falsify records to show that all requirements of a project have been completed or met, such as in a construction project that calls for the use of specific materials or minimum amounts of those materials.
- Falsely certifying that the bidder on a government contract meets certain criteria, such as being a minority- or veteran-owned business, or having the experience, expertise and resources to fulfill a contract.
- Misrepresenting the value of imported goods or their country of origin to avoid paying all or part of a tariff.
