What can happen if you fraudulently get PPP loan?

If you have been accused of making false statements on a PPP loan application, misappropriating PPP funds, fraudulently applying for PPP loan forgiveness, or any other alleged abuse of the Paycheck Protection Program, you could be at risk for a federal indictment and criminal prosecution.

Are whistleblowers protected under the FCA?

No. The whistleblower protection provision of the False Claims Act (FCA) protects “lawful acts done by the employee, contractor, agent or associated others in furtherance of an action under [the FCA] or other efforts to stop 1 or more violations of [the FCA].”

What is whistleblower retaliation?

What is whistleblower retaliation? A federal employee authorized to take, direct others to take, recommend, or approve any personnel action may not take, fail to take, or threaten to take any personnel action against an employee because of protected whistleblowing.

Are recipients of PPP loans public record?

If you’re looking to check who’s received EIDL grants, EIDL loans, or PPP loans, the SBA has made recipient data publicly available.

Are whistleblowers protected under the False Claims Act?

The False Claims Act anti-retaliation provision protects both whistleblowing to the government and internal whistleblowing. Retaliation can derail a whistleblower’s career and cause a whistleblower to suffer economic losses, emotional distress, reputational harm, and alienation.

What can a whistleblower do?

A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, usually an employee, who exposes information or activity within a private, public, or government organization that is deemed illegal, illicit, unsafe, fraud, or abuse of taxpayer funds.

What protections do whistleblowers have?

Whistleblowers are protected from retaliation for disclosing information that the employee or applicant reasonably believes provides evidence of a violation of any law, rule, regulation, gross mismanagement, gross waste of funds, an abuse of authority, or a substantial and specific danger to public health or safety.

Is there a database of PPP recipients?

The Small Business Administration has continued to update the list of PPP recipients throughout the crisis. The Post’s database has now been updated with data through June 2021. The list of businesses participating in the program continues to evolve. The Post geocoded nearly 650,000 addresses listed in the database.