Have you hear of the False Claims Act? This whistleblower statute recovers $2–6 billion per year for taxpayers. But most of us have never heard of it.
Well, If you report fraud against the government (a "qui tam" action) and the government recovers, the whistleblower receives 15–25% of the recovery.
Sam Buffone is our guest on this episode of Fraudish, he is whistleblower attorney and founder of the Buffone Law Group. Sam spent 9 years at the Department of Justice and helped recover $3 billion in civil fraud enforcement. Kelly met him at the Maryland ACFE conference after being impressed by his last-minute fill-in presentation.
Sam describes his role as a translator: whistleblowers come to him feeling gaslit, with scattershot observations, and he packages their experience into something that speaks the government's language and directs investigative attention. Cases routinely take years. He works on contingency (no recovery = no fee), which is essential since whistleblowers rarely have the budget to fight corporations.
Sam doesn't advertise. Whistleblower clients are scared, isolated, and often don't even know whistleblower attorneys exist as a specialty. He relies on referrals to find the right clients.
Whistleblower Programs to Know
Sam closed with a rundown of the major programs:
False Claims Act — government/healthcare fraud (qui tam)
SEC — securities fraud
CFTC — commodities and crypto fraud
IRS — tax fraud
FinCEN — financial crimes, sanctions evasion
DOJ Antitrust — illegal cartels (growing)
DOJ Criminal Division — catch-all program
NHTSA — auto safety/recall issues
Resources & References Mentioned
Going Infinite by Michael Lewis (FTX/SBF)
Who Is Government? compiled by Michael Lewis (long-form essays on public servants)
The Big Short (film)
My Cousin Vinny — Sam's pick for most legally accurate movie
Buffone Law Group— whistleblower and civil fraud enforcement. Sam encourages anyone who sees something wrong to reach out; initial consultations are free given the contingency model.
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