Whistleblower Collects $20M From IRS
- January 20, 2014 by Qui Tam
- Federal False Claims Act
With due respect to our friends at the Internal Revenue Service, most people would rather not hear from them this year. (Well, unless they have a hankering to discuss “Party of Five” with an IRS agent. But we digress.)
But we’re guessing the whistleblower who recently received $20 million for a tip he gave the IRS in 2006 feels differently. The reward, paid in late 2013, is among the largest ever in the history of the IRS whistleblower program.
The IRS program allows whistleblowers with information about frauds that cause more than $2 million in losses to the U.S. treasury to recoup 15 to 30 percent of the money recovered by the government. If the whistleblower is dissatisfied with the percentage awarded by the government, he may challenge that decision in U.S. Tax Court.
In this case, though, we’re guessing the whistleblower is satisfied with the reward. (Well, unless he or she is a big Lacey Chabert fan. But we digress.)