To blow the whistle or not...?
![[Post New]](/jforum/templates/default/images/icon_minipost_new.gif){kind=icon}
Anonymous
|
I've worked at a medium prominent org in dmv area for less than a year. I sensed things amiss but it took me a couple months to start putting pieces together. I have now uncovered evidence of fraud. Specifically with billing and finance. I don't work in finance. But I started looking into their billing practices bc it had an impact in my area and I couldn't understand. I reviewed data and spreadsheets and finally saw the fraudulent billing that explained a lot.
I'm sorry I'm being vague. I just do not want to use identifiers. My first instinct was to go to my boss who is high in the org. I hesitated. Other senior leadership in the org are questionable in some things I've seen. I weighed my options. The fraudulent billing if discovered would result in hefty fines (millions). If they fess up we will be given x number of weeks and months to correct with a small slap. This involves state and fed money. If I tell.my boss I think he may be surprised but I don't think he'll want to know. He'd have to bring it to the top.and they won't be pleased to hear about this. I actually think they know and are just wanting people to look the other way. Do I get a lawyer and whistleblow. Or do I skip the whistleblow and bring this to light with my leadership?? I have been there less than a year but am well accepted and doing fine in my current role. I am so disgusted what I see I want to move on. Thoughts? If I tell them and expect them to make it right, and they don't, I also.risk retaliation. Thanks all. |
Anonymous
| Get a lawyer for sure. If it's federal money that's being bilked (or possibly even state), you may be eligible to bring "qui tam" lawsuit, where you could get a percentage of anything the government ultimately recovered. But you'd need a qualified lawyer to advise. I'd look for one specializing in qui tams and whistleblowing. |
Anonymous
| And even if you don't want to be litigious, and you'd prefer just to let someone know who can put an end to it, you still want to be thoughtful about who/how you let know, to ensure you are entitled to any whistleblower protections (ie job protections) that might be available. |
Anonymous
| You print and copy all the evidence you can, hire the lawyer and gtfo |
Anonymous
|
How easily can you get another job?
I would get out asap and notify maybe the federal grantor? I was going to say auditor….but depends on whether they are trustworthy or are going cover themselves. |
Anonymous
Don’t listen to this person. If you take documents/info that you’re prohibited from taking, it can mean BIG trouble for you. Consult a whistleblower attorney. Prepare to leave because of retaliation. |
Anonymous
|
Why not flag it to the IG of the Department from which your company receives money? Be anonymous. State possible indications of fraudulent billing. IG reviews, opens investigation or conducts a financial audit of billing practices. The IG would love a POC but anonymous is fine.
If the IG could initiate without indicating the audit came from a tip, then you should be fine. At this point in my career, I think many people want to do what's right, but they'll always remember the messenger. |
Anonymous
This is probably good advice. OP, you need to hire counsel (an attorney) before proceeding any further. This is dangerous territory. |
Anonymous
This! Very good chance you’ll get paid a percentage of the fraud as a whistleblower’s fee if it’s found to be legitimate. In the meantime I would start looking for a new job. https://whitecollarattorney.net/dc-qui-tam-lawyer/what-is-qui-tam/ |
Anonymous
| +1 to consulting with a lawyer. IG may be the way to go but I'd spend the $400-$500 bucks for a consult first. |
Anonymous
| There is something about the way your post is written that makes me think you need to talk to someone at your org first, probably your boss. Present it as, “I’ve noticed these discrepancies, could you please explain the situation to me so I better understand the processes?” Or something like that. You are new enough that it seems at least possible that you are misunderstanding something, or something is done in a funky way at your org that other people just live with and know how to work around but isn’t actually illegal or unethical. (I work at a very old org and we have some archaic processes—that’s why I mention it.) I just don’t think you should go straight to whistleblowing without sharing your concerns with someone else. |
Anonymous
|
From the sidelines, I have watched many whistle-blowers end up getting punished. In some cases, they were blackballed from all employment in that field.
If I were in OP’s shoes, I would find a new job at a completely different organization (not merely a different office or different subsidiary or different business unit) and then I would resign and move to the new job as fast as possible. |
Anonymous
| It doesn't hurt to talk to whistleblower attorney. |
Anonymous
From my unscientific observation, in industry/private companies the whistleblower gets punished and ends up in a bad situation. In government, the resolution gets dragged out for years and there may be retaliation in the first year but eventually a light gets shined on the issue. In all cases, the whistleblower is not able to keep their job or stay in the same department. |
Anonymous
+100 Look up what's happening to the Boeing whistleblowers. The current count is 2-3 dead by suicide. The malefactors will do whatever it takes to cover their butts. You don't know who is or is not involved, so tread carefully. |