Corporate Whistleblower Center Urges Insiders at Businesses Falsely Claiming They Are Minority or Woman Owned to Contact Them about Large Rewards
(PRWEB) October 30, 2013 -- The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, "After featuring a story on the Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program designed to help women and minority owned businesses get contracts for federal transportation projects, we were completely blindsided by the response we received. The large number of calls we have received about companies falsely claiming they are a minority, or woman owned business is much larger than we anticipated, and we believe this problem is much more widespread than we initially believed.”
One recent example involved a settlement between the United States and TesTech, a civil engineering firm, and its owner, CESO, Inc. According to the Department of Justice, TesTech and CESO agreed to pay $2.88 million for falsely claiming that TesTech was a minority-owned business.
This case was brought forward by a whistleblower, who will receive a $562,370 reward for his information.
According to the Corporate Whistleblower Center, falsely claiming a minority status goes beyond federal transportation programs. “Based on what we now know, these schemes impact every federal agency,” says the group. “This includes the DOD, EPA, Department of Agriculture, HUD, and every other imaginable federal agency or department."
The Corporate Whistleblower Center wants to hear from any insider who has proof a company has falsely claimed they are a minority or woman owned business in order to receive federal grant money. Whistleblowers with well-documented proof can contact the group anytime at 866-714-6466, provided the wrongdoing involves awarded federal contracts or grants that exceed one million dollars. http://CorporateWhistleblowerCenter.Com
Simple rules for a whistleblower from the Corporate Whistleblower Center:
- Do not go to the government first if you are a major whistleblower. The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, “Major whistleblowers frequently go to the federal government thinking they will help. It’s a huge mistake.”
- Do not go to the news media with your whistleblower information. Public revelation of a whistleblower’s information could destroy any prospect for a reward.
- Do not try to force a government contractor, or corporation to come clean to the government about their wrongdoing. The Corporate Whistleblower Center says, “Fraud is so rampant among federal contractors that any suggestion of exposure might result in an instant job termination, or harassment of the whistleblower. Come to us first, tell us what type of information you have, and if we think it’s sufficient, we will help find the right law firms to assist in advancing your information.”
- The Corporate Whistleblower Center wants to emphasize there are high quality whistleblowers in every state including California, New York, Florida, Texas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, Michigan, Iowa, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska.
Any type of insider or employee who possesses significant proof of their employer or a government contractor defrauding the federal government is encouraged to contact to Corporate Whistleblower Center anytime at 866-714-6466 or via their web site at http://CorporateWhistleBlowerCenter.Com
For attribution purposes please refer to the June 2013 Justice Department press release on this matter: http://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/2013/June/13-civ-650.html
Case Number: The False Claims Act suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, and is captioned United States ex rel. Parker v. TesTech et al., No. 2:10-cv-1028 (S.D. Ohio).
M Thomas Martin, America's Watchdog 6, http://CorporateWhistleblowerCenter.Com, +1 (866) 714-6466, [email protected]
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