
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, October 19, 1995                   TAG: 9510190047
SECTION: BUSINESS                    PAGE: B-7   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

BLOWING WHISTLES RINGS UP THE BANKNOTES

Citizens who take the law into their own hands have collected $184.5 million for themselves, and the Justice Department has surpassed $1 billion in fines collected in civil fraud cases brought by whistleblowers. Whistleblowers also have won $15.6 million in settlements in cases the government refused to join.

A 1986 law lets Americans file lawsuits on behalf of the U.S. government in cases where a person or company has falsely billed Uncle Sam. If the government takes over the case and wins, the whistleblower gets 15 percent to 25 percent of the settlement - sometimes millions of dollars.

``The recovery of over $1 billion demonstrates that the public-private partnership encouraged by the statute works and is an effective tool in our continuing fight against fraudulent use of public funds,'' said Frank Hunger, an assistant attorney general.``This is a remarkable achievement for the taxpayers of this country.''

- Associated Press

by CNB