Chicago Whistleblower Lawyer Crowned the “King of Qui Tam” by Law Magazine

     Former federal prosecutor Michael I. Behn has been representing whistleblowers for 25 years, helping recover over $500 million in taxpayer funds through some of the most significant whistleblower suits ever brought. This month, Boston’s Northeastern University Law magazine recognized Mr. Behn’s remarkable career in a profile headlined the “King of Qui Tam.” The article can be found at www.bit.ly/BehnKingOfQuiTam.

      “Qui tam” is a Latin term (often pronounced "key tam") for the lawsuits brought by Mr. Behn and his clients. In a “qui tam” lawsuit, a citizen who witnesses fraud against the government can sue on the government’s behalf to recover taxpayer money stolen through lying or cheating.

     These “qui tam” rights come from a statute known as the False Claims Act, a law first established by Abraham Lincoln. The False Claims Act protects whistleblowers who report fraud against the government (called “relators”) and incentivizes integrity by paying successful relators 15-30% of any government recovery. These “qui tam” provisions have resulted in billions of dollars in recoveries, and have been expanded to securities fraud, tax fraud, and commodity futures fraud.

     The article notes that Behn started representing whistleblowers in qui tam suits after a successful career prosecuting fraud on Wall Street with the United States Attorney’s Office. “There's no greater privilege in law in my experience than representing the United States of America," said Behn. “Once you do that, it's hard to give it up.”

     Behn and his clients now pursue fraud claims by working side-by-side with federal prosecutors. “I love my clients,” Behn said. “In some cases, they lost their jobs standing up for what’s right. To serve those kinds of clients, to have their trust when their trust has been so fundamentally violated, is an honor."

     Behn founded the law firm Behn & Wyetzner Chartered to combat fraud and advocate for whistleblowers (http://www.BehnWyetzner.com). Last year, Behn was featured on the CBS News “Whistleblower” program for his role in obtaining a $134 million settlement from Northrop Grumman Co. in a case involving fraud in the Stealth Bomber program. Visit www.bit.ly/BehnForWhistleblowers 

     Behn recently represented the pharmacist whistleblower in a $170 million settlement with  Johnson & Johnson involving kickbacks to influence drug selections in nursing homes (D. Mass. 07 CV 10288-RGS).  Other Behn cases recovered over $120 million through settlements of Medicaid fraud allegations against Walgreens, CVS, and Omnicare. All three qui tam whistleblower cases were filed under federal and state False Claims Acts in the U.S. District Court in Chicago, Illinois, docket numbers 03 C 744 (Walgreens), 03 C 742 (CVS) and 01 C 7433 (Omnicare). For more information, visit www.bit.ly/BehnWhistleblowersWin.