Small Business Fraud Cases

Atlanta Small Business Fraud Lawyer

Is a business getting government contracts because of DBE, MBE or WBE fraud? As a whistleblower, you can file a False Claims Act lawsuit to stop the fraud. You will be entitled to 15% to 30% of what the Government gets back because of your efforts.

Types of small business fraud we can handle:

Contact The Wallace Law Firm, LLC today.

Fraud in the DBE Program

Congress has asked government agencies to set aside a minor percentage of their contracts for small businesses owned by disadvantaged persons, minorities and women. Unfortunately, some bigger businesses are using fraud to grab even this minor bit of government work for themselves. Now the Government and whistleblowers are turning to False Claims Act lawsuits to stop this fraud. If you know of a company illegally getting contracts intended for DBEs, MBEs or WBEs, Find out whether you can be a whistleblower who stops fraud against small businesses.

The DBE, MBE & WBE Programs

The Government has billions of dollars in lucrative contracts to hand out. For years those contracts inevitably went to the same band of big businesses. Breaking into the group required contacts and money that eluded all but the largest and best-financed companies.

Congress decided that it would be in America’s best interests to encourage small businesses by making sure they got at least a small percentage of the contracts awarded by the Government each year. Congress passed laws encouraging government agencies to award a percentage of their contracts to smaller businesses owned by disadvantaged persons, minorities and women.

Cheating in the DBE, MBE & WBE Programs

Unfortunately, some companies are blatantly cheating, pretending that they are eligible for these contracts, and stealing the business from the Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBEs), Minority Business Enterprises (MBEs) and Woman-Owned Business Enterprises (WBEs) that Congress wanted to help. The Government cannot know about all of this fraud without whistleblowers who will report it. By filing suit as a whistleblower (“relator”) under the False Claims Act, you can help the Government stop this fraud and you also can receive 15% – 30% of what the Government claws back from the company that cheated to get a Government contract.

Stopping Fraud on Small Businesses

In recent years the Government increasingly has turned to the False Claims Act to take back money paid out to businesses who only pretended to qualify for DBE, MBE or WBE status.

A recent successful case involving a whistleblower on small business fraud:

  • In 2011, the Government collected $4.6 million from a Minnesota company accused of faking involvement by DBEs. The company was supposed to hire DBEs to do part of the project, but was only pretending to involve them. Allegedly, the company set things up so that it appeared that the DBEs did work, when in fact they were marginalized and did little of the actual work.

The Government learns of only a small fraction of the fraud on its own. For the rest, it is dependent on whistleblowers (known as relators) who are determined to stop this sort of fraud, and who file suit under the False Claims Act.

If you know about DBE fraud, or fraud involving MBEs or WBEs, contact The Wallace Law Firm, L.L.C. The firm represents whistleblowers committed to stopping fraud. The principal, Lee Wallace, has been named as a: Georgia Super Lawyers® every year since the poll began; Georgia Top 100 Lawyers: Georgia Top 100 Trial Lawyers; Georgia Top 50 Women Lawyers. She has handled legal matters in 20 states.

Contact our firm today to discuss your case: (404) 550-4615.