Then search your former employer here. If they received a PPP loan while cutting your pay, you may have witnessed one of the largest frauds in American history — and federal law may pay you to say so.
The Paycheck Protection Program moved $800 billion out the door in a matter of weeks with almost no verification. The government trusted the paperwork. The people who were there know what actually happened. Congress built the False Claims Act for exactly this moment — a statute from 1863 that turns ordinary witnesses into the people who bring the money back.
Eleven and a half million businesses took out PPP loans. Federal oversight estimates that roughly $200 billion of that went to fraud. The Small Business Administration processed applications in minutes and forgiveness requests by the thousands, relying almost entirely on self-certification. The system assumed the paperwork was true. In many cases, it wasn't.
If you worked at a business that got a PPP loan — especially if you were laid off, had your hours cut, or watched your employer spend the money on things other than payroll — you are exactly the kind of witness the False Claims Act was written for. A Civil War-era statute, updated in 1986 and strengthened repeatedly since, lets ordinary employees file suit on behalf of the government against the businesses that defrauded it, with a statutory share of whatever is recovered.
The Paycheck Protection Program disbursed more money in sixteen months than the federal government spends on transportation in a typical year. It ran on self-certification. The Justice Department is now spending years untangling what happened.
Our practice is built around the federal False Claims Act, Louisiana's Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law, and the wave of COVID-era fraud that the Justice Department is still untangling. If you have evidence in any of these areas, you have a potential case.
The backbone of civil fraud enforcement in the United States. Treble damages, civil penalties per false claim, and a 15–30% share of the recovery for the whistleblower. Applies to every federal dollar — PPP loans, Medicare, defense contracts, grants, customs duties, and cybersecurity certifications.
Read the statuteThe Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law is Louisiana's state-level false claims statute — limited to healthcare, but with sharp teeth. It covers Medicaid and any program administered by the Louisiana Department of Health. Relator share: 15–25% if the state intervenes, 25–30% if it does not.
Read the statuteFederal oversight has flagged more than $200 billion in pandemic business loans as potentially suspect. The DOJ is still bringing these cases — and will be for years. If you were laid off while your employer collected PPP, or watched a business inflate its headcount, search the database and call us.
Search the PPP databaseHealthcare remains the largest single category of False Claims Act recoveries — roughly $5.7 billion of the $6.8 billion total in FY2025. Upcoding, billing for services not rendered, medically unnecessary procedures, kickbacks to referring physicians, and Medicare Advantage risk-score gaming all qualify.
Common fraud schemesFederal law protects whistleblowers who are fired, demoted, harassed, or otherwise discriminated against for reporting fraud. Remedies include reinstatement, double back pay, and attorneys' fees. Louisiana MAPIL has parallel protections under La. R.S. 46:440.3.
Know your rightsEvery consultation is free and subject to attorney-client privilege from the first conversation. We do not charge hourly fees. We only get paid if you get paid. If your matter does not fit our practice, we will tell you, and where possible we will refer you to counsel who can help.
Request a consultationThe Paycheck Protection Program distributed approximately $793 billion in loans meant to keep workers on payroll. Federal oversight has since flagged more than $200 billion as potentially suspect.
If you were furloughed or laid off during 2020 or 2021 while your employer received a PPP loan that was later forgiven — or if you watched a business inflate its headcount, use another entity's payroll, or spend the funds on something other than wages — you may have a viable federal False Claims Act case. The relator share on recovered pandemic funds is the same 15–30% as any other FCA matter.
In 200+ separate settlements and judgments resolving PPP, EIDL, and Provider Relief Fund allegations.
Qui tam cases are procedurally unlike any other civil litigation. The complaint is filed under seal. The government investigates for months — sometimes years — before the case is publicly disclosed. Here is the shape of what comes next.
We listen to your story under the protection of attorney-client privilege — even if you never retain us. No fees. No obligation. We assess whether your information is likely to satisfy the "original source" and "public disclosure" requirements.
If the matter fits, we work with you to document the scheme — contracts, invoices, billing records, emails, and internal communications you have lawful access to. We never ask you to do anything that would breach a duty you owe your employer.
The complaint is filed in federal court (or state court for MAPIL matters) under seal and served on the Attorney General. The seal protects your identity while the government investigates. The initial seal is 60 days, but extensions are routine.
The government decides whether to intervene. Either way, a successful outcome results in a recovery that is shared with you — 15–25% if the government intervenes, 25–30% if it does not, plus attorneys' fees and costs paid by the defendant.
Plain-language articles for people who lost their jobs, had their hours cut, or were furloughed during the pandemic while their employer kept the PPP money. Written to explain the law, not to sell. No account, no fee, no obligation to read.
If your employer received a PPP loan during 2020 or 2021 and then cut your job, reduced your hours, or let you go anyway, you are not imagining something. You are describing a fact pattern the federal government specifically cares about.
PPP loan data is public record. A step-by-step walkthrough of the SBA database, ProPublica, and other reliable sources. No login or payment required.
Less than most people think. Your pay stubs, separation notice, W-2, and a written account are usually enough to start. What you don't need is a smoking-gun document.
The misconception that matters most. SBA forgiveness does not preclude a False Claims Act case. In many of the largest PPP settlements, the loan had already been forgiven.
Step by step: the first call, the engagement, the pre-filing investigation, filing under seal, the government's investigation, the intervention decision, and what the employer eventually learns.
The math, explained in plain language. The FCA provides 15–30% of the government's recovery to the relator. What that actually means for a typical PPP case.
A non-exhaustive sample of publicly reported False Claims Act resolutions. These are Department of Justice cases — not our cases — included to illustrate the scale of the statute. Past outcomes do not predict future results.
Under both federal and Louisiana law, a qui tam case must be filed by the first person to bring the information. The "first-to-file" and "public disclosure" bars eliminate a relator's share if the allegations are already public, or if another person beats you to the courthouse. There is also a six-year statute of limitations — ten in some circumstances — for most FCA claims.
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