A whistleblower is private individual who has specific knowledge of fraud being committed against a federal, state or local government. The whistleblower can sue those wrongdoers on behalf of the government in what is referred to as a qui tam lawsuit. 'Qui Tam' is a latin phrase meaning "who sues on behalf of the King, as well as for himself". Virtually every state and the federal government enacted statutes permitting private citizens to sue on behalf of a defrauded government and reward them with 15%-30% of the recovered money.
