Bank Whistleblower Awarded $104 Million

A whistleblower received $104 million from the federal government for uncovering his former employer’s business of helping Americans hide their assets from the IRS. The employee was former UBS banker Bradley Birkenfeld. His tips on UBS’s practices led to a 2009 settlement between the federal government and UBS where UBS agreed to pay $780 million in penalties and turn over the account information of thousands of U.S. clients. Under the federal whistleblowing law, a person whose information reveals fraud against the federal government can receive a portion of the money recovered by the government. Mr. Birkenfeld’s lawyers believe this is the largest whistleblower award in history.

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Tom McKinney is an experienced NJ Employment Lawyer in all major areas of labor and employment law, including discrimination, harassment, overtime violations, wage and hour claims, sexual harassment, wrongful discharge, Title VII, ADA, ADEA, FMLA, LAD, FLSA, and all other employment law claims. Tom is admitted to practice in the States of New Jersey and New York, United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York, Southern District of New York, District of New Jersey, and United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Prior to forming the firm, Tom practiced at Gibbons P.C. in Newark, NJ. If you have any questions regarding this article, contact Tom here today.