The Department of Justice criminal division will give a grant of immunity to certain executives and other employees who render information about corporate illegality–even if they were involved in the wrongdoing. The program, which is effective as of April 15, has no set time frame for expiration.
Under that program, prosecutors will enter into a so-called nonprosecution agreement with corporate whistleblowers who meet certain criteria, according to an internal Justice Department memo. To be eligible, an individual must voluntarily provide original information, cooperate with prosecutors and agree to give up any profits they may have derived from the reported misconduct.
The program covers tips related to a range of misconduct, including financial and healthcare fraud, money laundering and corporate bribery. Chief executive and financial officers may not be eligible for the new immunity policy, however.
Jeffrey Newman is a whistleblower lawyer whose firm represents whistleblowers in healthcare fraud cases under the False Claims Act (FCA) and also under the Securities and Exchange, FINCEN and CFTC whistleblower programs. He can be reached at Jeff@JeffNewmanLaw.com or at 617-823-3217
