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In Our Words: United Whistleblower Speak Sept 18, 2011

Please contact me for further information. Our website shows our agenda, our participants, and our goals:

http://internationalwhistleblower.org/

We plan to release further press releases very frequently this week

http://www.opednews.com/articles/5th-Annual-Whistleblower-C-by-James-Murtagh-110831-261.html

Dr. James John Murtagh, FCCP

Co-chair, IAW

404 626 4520

 

 

 

In Our Words: United Whistleblower Speak Sept 18, 2011:

 

"Americans must be free to practice their trade and to tell the public the

truth." http://internationalwhistleblower.org/

 

WASHINGTON, DC – This September 18, the whistleblowers and persons of

conscience will hold the fifth annual gathering on Capitol Hill. As the

Nation's budget crisis continues to grow, lawmakers must look to corporate

and federal whistleblowers to stop out of control spending. The united

message is the nation’s top priority must be to protect whistleblowers so that

truth-tellers can protect the public, the public’s health, and our national

security.

 

Five years of concentrated advocacy led to this meeting. Dr. Jeffrey Wigand

(aka, “The Insider”) helped to found, guide and shape the International Association of

Whistleblowers (IAW). Other Advisors include Coleen Rowley, Reuben Guttman and

Cyrus Mehri. Our ranks are growing stronger everyday.

 

America knows what is said about whistleblowers. This conference is a chance to hear from the whistleblowers in their own words. A spectrum of statements include:

• NSA whistleblower Thomas Drake, recently revealed on 60 Minutes that 9/11 could have been prevented. The IAW demands an end to counter-productive policies that make America more vulnerable to future attacks:

 

"If recent history is any guide, coming forward with the truth and blowing the

whistle on evidence of gross waste, fraud, abuse, wrongdoing, corruption,

malfeasance, illegalities or dangers to public health and safety within public or

private institutions is increasingly viewed as a criminal act. In so doing,

whistleblowers not only risk their personal lives and professional careers they are

often relentlessly and maliciously dismissed, victimized, hounded and even

prosecuted out of reprisal, retribution, and retaliation for speaking truth to power – a clear and distinct 'shoot the messenger' syndrome. Whistleblowers are often the only witness to wrongdoing where they work. Existing laws are simply not sufficient to protect whistleblowers. http://www.whistleblower.org/blog/31/1128

• Navy whistleblower Kirk Wiebe vigorously supports the IAW message:

 

Whistleblowers are not a threat to government or to any organization, rather they

seek to ensure integrity of service to the people they serve. The IAW Conference

provides an excellent platform for whistleblowers to find their voice and to meet

one another in a positive environment of mutual support.

http://www.whistleblower.org/blog

 

NSA whistleblower Randy Kelly amplifies:

 

These are sad and dark days in the history of America. The American taxpayer has little or no confidence in our elected officials or government in general. The

American people should be outraged at the level of corruption and criminal activity within the federal government and politics in this country. It is easy to understand why many members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives do not want any level of whistleblower reform. Too many politicians fear they themselves will become publically exposed as to the atrocities they condone by being unwilling to take any action against the prevalence of fraud, waste and abuse within all levels and sectors of our government. All honest citizens are affected by government fraud, waste and abuse. These are intentional and criminal acts that benefit but a few. And, they are taking place to the detriment of, and at the expense of, the honest and hard working citizens of this country. It is the 'whistleblowers' that are trying to right the wrongs. Yet the term 'whistleblower' remains painted with a dark and sinister image. The American people must come to realize that the 'whistleblowers' of this country are some of the true patriots of America. Now, more than ever, whistleblowers need the understanding and support of the American people!

• Bill Binney points out the Constitutional issue:

 

When our Constitutional form of government does not function, that is, when

Congress does not have effective oversight of the agencies of the executive branch, those agencies set their own agenda and spend money accordingly. That is exactly what has happened at my former agency (NSA). Over the past 30 years, my former agency has made acquiring money the main objective - not solving operational problems. Their vision statement over these years has evolved into "Keep the problem going, so the money keeps flowing." In other words, don't solve the problem use the problem to keep getting more and more money.  This is and has been a disservice to our people and country. In effect, these agencies are trading our security for money.

• Mike McCray, co-chair of the IAW agrees:

 

Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information, but those who seek to make it known.  We encourage all 264 organizations and corporations that signed the Whistleblower letter to join us! We are already bonded by a shared principle that "whistleblower protection is a foundation for any change in which the public can believe. It does not matter whether

the issue is economic recovery, prescription drug safety, environmental protection, infrastructure spending, national health insurance, or foreign policy."

 

The IAW is independent, transpartisan, and non-aligned. It is united by a single principle: that Americans deserve to be protected by the truth. Only truth-telling patriots with extraordinary courage to tell truth to power can stop the barrage of preventable disasters that beset America. We are uniting to lobby Congress, and we will be heard. Every whistleblower will tell their story, and will be interviewed for U-tube. An extraordinary archive of these American and International stories will be collected.

 

All citizens who want to make America truly stronger are invited to:

 

Contact today Atlanta Whistleblower

Phone: 404 626 4520

INTERNATIONAL

ASSOCIATION

OF WHISTLEBLOWERS

(IAW) CAUCUS IN WASHINGTON DC

September 18, 2011

 

DC Public Library

Martin Luther King Jr. branch,

RoomA-5,

901 G Street, NW

Washington, DC 20001

(202) 727-0321

 

Please post additional comments to:

http://www.opednews.com/articles/In-Our-Words-United-Whist-by-Carol-Czarkowski-110911-240.html

ATTENTION! SEC ADOPTS NEW WHISTLEBLOWER RULES

I attended one of these sessions recently.  You do not have to be an attorney to attend.  I recommend that you all attend and read Mr. Kohn's new book.  It is written to make the complexities understandable even for people who are not attorney's.    Your fee includes a copy of Mr. Kohn's new book and handouts.  He was very open to answering participant questions.  GFS

 

 *******

 

On May 25th, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) adopted whistleblower rules that fundamentally changed and enhanced the right of employees to obtain legal protection and large financial rewards (see Washington Post article).  The National Whistleblowers Center and its legal staff were extensively involved in this process, providing the SEC with nine formal rulemaking submissions and personally meeting one-on-one with each of the five SEC commissioners.  Many of the NWC's proposals were adopted by the SEC, and the Final Rules cited to NWC formal comments forty-four times.  The new regulations will prove an invaluable asset in the representation of corporate whistleblowers, and the new regulations if properly utilized will prove to be an invaluable asset in successfully representing employees and preventing corporate fraud.

 

As a result, the National Whistleblowers Center is conducting a series of nationwide seminars that will focus on the new SEC regulations, and the historic whistleblower protections contained in the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.  The seminars will explain the new anti-retaliation rules governing corporate employees and the financial reward provisions.  These rules require the SEC to pay large financial awards to qualified whistleblowers for which there is no cap and can result in multiple millions of dollars in recoveries.

 

 

 

 

Dodd-Frank Act

3-hour CLE Seminar

NEW Corporate Whistleblower Protections and Reward Provisions

 

 

On July 21, 2010, Congress enacted the Dodd-Frank Act. Corporate whistleblowing was forever changed. The Act established the right of whistleblowers to obtain multi-million dollar rewards for reporting violations of Securities and Commodities Exchange Acts. These "qui tam" provisions were modeled on the False Claims Act -- a law that already has resulted in whistleblowers obtaining over $2.7 billion dollars in rewards for reporting federal contracting and procurement violations to the Justice Department. Dodd-Frank also enhanced employment protections available to whistleblowers. Retaliatory discharge cases can now be filed directly in federal court, with the right to a jury trial. Under Dodd-Frank, mandatory arbitration agreements cannot be enforced.

$150 ATTORNEY REFERRAL SERVICE MEMBERS

($95 For Early Bird Special!)

 

$295 ATTORNEYS

($150 For Early Bird Special!)

 

$75 WHISTLEBLOWERS

 

Call (202) 342-1903 for Early Sign-up or ARS Discount Codes

 

To REGISTER visit our UPCOMING EVENTS page

Locations:

 

Washington, DC -- June 10th, 2011 (Teleconference Available)

         National Whistleblowers Center

         3238 P Street NW

         Washington, DC 20007

 

         Register on or before June 7th for Early Bird Special

 

         Contact Seminar Director Estelle Kohn at [email protected] or Associate

         Seminar Director Philip Barrett at [email protected] or call

         (202) 342-1903 to register

 

Denver, CO -- June 23rd, 2011

         The Browne Palace Hotel & Spa

         321 17th Street

         Denver, CO 80202

 

         Register on or before June 10th for Early Bird Special

 

San Francisco, CA -- June 27th, 2011

         TURN-The Utility Reform Network

         115 Sansome Street, Suite 900

         San Francisco, CA 94104

 

         Register on or before June 10th for Early Bird Special

 

Los Angeles, CA -- June 28th, 2011

         Carlsmith Ball LLP

         444 South Flower Street, 9th Floor

         Los Angeles, CA 90071-2901

 

         Register on or before June 10th for Early Bird Special

 

New York, NY -- July 25th, 2011

         New York Marriott Downtown

         85 West Street at Albany Street

         New York, NY 10006

 

         Register on or before July 15th for Early Bird Special

 

CURRICULUM:

Learn how to use the new corporate whistleblower laws and regulations to effectively represent employees, combat fraud and qualify for large whistleblower rewards. Gain insight into how whistleblower protections laws can be integrated into your law practice as powerful legal tools for maximizing your client's ability to have their case heard before a jury and obtain entitlement to large monetary damage awards and rewards.

 

FACULTY:

Stephen M. Kohn, Esq. is the Executive Director of the National Whistleblowers Center and one of the nations leading advocates on whistleblower law.  Mr. Kohn will present this unique seminar on the latest whistleblower laws and rewards provisions. Mr. Kohn has represented numerous high profile whistleblowers for over 27 years. He has authored seven books on whistleblower law, including the recently published The Whistleblower's Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Doing What's Right and Protecting Yourself (Lyons Press, 2011). Mr. Kohn was the principal author of the NWC's rulemaking petitions and personally met with all five SEC Commissioners and the responsible Commission staff.

 

To Register or For More Information:

Please visit our UPCOMING EVENTS page or contact Estelle Kohn or Philip Barrett by phone: (202) 342-1903 or email: [email protected] or [email protected].  

If you cannot make the seminar, you can purchase the course materials, The Whistleblower's Handbook, online for $16.95 plus shipping. 

Attorneys Wanted

Do You Know a Good Labor or Whistleblower Attorney?

 

In communicating with various people, including readers of this blog, I’ve found that finding an attorney to assist and help protect people who are being beat up for doing their jobs, or who have elected to join the ranks of whistleblowers by doing the right ethical thing, is not a very easy thing to accomplish.   I’ve decided that there is a need to post names of good attorney’s that have served people well.  If you know an attorney who has helped you or someone you know who is working or worked in federal government, defense contractor, military, or other area and you can attest to their integrity and competence, please post their name, contact information and area of expertise.  If you can also describe testimonial style, how they were able to help you that would be great.  You may also email me using the link on this site. 

 

Thank you all for your assistance in this project!

 

-GFS

Alan Grayson is Running for Congress in Florida

Alan Grayson, Whistleblower attorney,  is running for the U.S. Congress in 2008.  He is running for office in Florida’s 8^th Congressional District. 

http://www.graysonforcongress.com/

Here is another link:  Grayson's fight against fraud and corruption

http://www.burkhardworks.com/GRAYSON/DM/WARPROFITEERS.pdf

Direct Orders from the Top of Government Block Investigations and Suits

Admin and DOJ Block Whistleblower Suits

Bush Administration, DOJ Blocking Iraq Fraud Suits
    By Matt Renner
    t r u t h o u t | Report

    Wednesday 26 September 2007

    Peter Keisler, the acting US attorney general, covered up evidence of alleged widespread contracting fraud in Iraq by preventing whistleblowers' complaints from being investigated, according to a prominent fraud attorney.

    Alan Grayson, an attorney who has represented scores of whistleblowers in suits against companies that were awarded hundreds of millions of dollars in government contracts related to Iraq reconstruction, blamed the Bush administration for the lack of government action on Iraq fraud.

    In an interview with Truthout, Grayson said Keisler has purposely delayed investigations into Iraq contractor fraud because of Keisler's political allegiance to the Bush administration. Keisler has refused to prosecute whistleblower lawsuits because Bush "does not want more bad news coming out of Iraq," Grayson said, adding "to have an entire class of cases treated this way is truly unprecedented. I've been doing this for 20 years and I've never seen it before."

    Keisler was appointed by President Bush to serve as the acting attorney general after Alberto Gonzales resigned in September. In July 2003, Keisler, became the assistant attorney general in charge of the civil division, roughly three months after the invasion of Iraq. Among its responsibilities, the civil division of the Department of Justice (DOJ) is tasked with enforcing contract fraud laws and investigating whistleblower complaints. A former law clerk for Judge Robert Bork and former Regan administration lawyer, Keisler is a co-founder of the conservative Federalist Society.

    During his time at DOJ, Keisler led the Bush administration's successful legal fight to deny habeas corpus rights for prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility. Keisler recently resigned his post as assistant attorney general, saying he planned to spend time with his family. Keisler was nominated by the Bush administration to serve as a Federal Judge on the Washington DC Court of Appeals in 2006, but the Senate has not yet taken up his confirmation. He has failed to be confirmed by the Senate in two previous appointment attempts by Bush.

    At a Senate Democratic Policy Committee hearing September 21 on Iraq war contractors, Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N. Dakota) said there "has been a staggering amount of contract abuse, the worst in our history."

    In a hearing last week, Congressman Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Iraq contractor fraud remains a serious issue. "As has been reported in the press, the Inspector General and the Army have uncovered a cluster of fraud and corruption problems arising out of a series of support contracts, many of which were let from an office in Kuwait. As of August 28, the Army reported that it had 76 cases of fraud and corruption under investigation, had obtained 20 indictments, and had uncovered over $15 million in bribes. The people involved ranged from civilians and enlisted military personnel to relatively senior officers," Skelton said.

    Yet, under Keisler's leadership, the DOJ civil division has refused to join any whistleblower suits against Iraq war contractors. DOJ work on behalf of whistleblower lawsuits against companies in other sectors has continued unabated.

    The DOJ did not return calls for comment.

    Keisler apparently took responsibility for the lack of Iraq fraud prosecutions in a keynote speech to the Taxpayers Against Fraud watchdog organization. The speech, however, was "off the record" and a transcript has not been made publicly available.

    During his appearance before the Senate Democratic Policy Committee, Grayson said "Under the False Claims Act, the Attorney General is supposed to join with whistleblowers to prosecute and punish war profiteers. The sad truth is that the Bush Administration has not even tried to do this. On the contrary, it has done all it could to prevent this." The DOJ has not joined a single Iraq contracting fraud case brought by a whistleblower to date.

    Under the False Claims Act, established by President Lincoln as a result of fraud and war profiteering during the civil war, any citizen has the ability to sue a company for fraud on behalf of the US government. In what is know as a qui tam action, a whistleblower can recoup legal fees and a percentage of the money the lawsuit recovers for the government. When a qui tam action is brought by a whistleblower, it is placed under seal to allow the government to review the case and to investigate the accused company in secret.

    The DOJ has refused to join 12 such cases and an estimated 50-70 cases remain under seal. By delaying their decision on whether or not to join these cases, the DOJ has kept whistleblowers and their lawyers from going public with their fraud accusations and has kept the accused companies out of court.

    Despite a rejection from the government, Grayson has decided to move forward with five of his pending cases against Iraq war contractors, three against the Halliburton Company and two against Custer Battles LLC.

    Beth Daley, the director of the Project on Government Oversight, described the DOJ's lack of action on Iraq fraud cases as "breathtaking," and as "a travesty of justice." According to Daley, "When you see what has happened with the Iraq fraud cases, you have to wonder if the DOJ has succumbed to political partisan interests rather than fighting corruption, which is their mission. This has huge implications for our democracy; to lose the most important corruption fighting agency to political agendas would be quite sad. It means that corruption has been allowed to fester."

    According to Patrick Burns, a spokesman for Taxpayers Against Fraud, the DOJ has suffered from a lack of staff and resources. Burns says the DOJ has a huge waiting list for fraud cases filed by whistleblowers. Burns added, "the DOJ civil division is a-political. Keisler is as straight a stick as you will get. He is a good lawyer and I have never felt the slightest subterfuge from him."

    Previously, Burns told the Boston Globe, "Basically, they [the US government] have done nothing, and it is hard to explain what is going on there, other than direct orders from the very top of government," Burns continued, "It can no longer be explained by incompetence alone."

Grayson Speaks: Senate Dem. Policy Comm. Hearing

Senate Democratic Policy Committee Hearing

“An Oversight Hearing on Accountability for Contracting Abuses in Iraq”

Alan Grayson

Grayson & Kubli, P.C.

September 18, 2006

Good afternoon. Thank you very much for the opportunity to be here today, and

to speak before this honorable committee.

My name is Alan Grayson. I am an attorney, and I represent dozens of

whistleblowers in cases brought against contractors who have defrauded the Government.

The Civil False Claims Act allows whistleblowers to bring cases in the name of the

Government, to help the taxpayers recover money from contractors who cheat the

Government. Ms. McBride is one such whistleblower.

With this week marking three and a half years since the occupation of Iraq began,

it is possible to conduct an appraisal of the role that contractors have played in Iraq. It is

not a pretty picture. While U.S. forces are praised for their professionalism and

discipline, there have been countless reports of government contractors in Iraq

undermining the mission, wasting money, and stealing money. Half of the $18 billion in

Iraq reconstruction funds are unaccounted for. Senator Dorgan has said that there is an

“orgy of greed” among contractors in Iraq, and there is ample evidence to back that up.

This Committee, a modern-day Truman Commission, has uncovered many

examples of this. So has the media. What you will not hear about, however, are many

examples from False Claims Act whistleblowers, because the Bush Administration has

systematically kept those cases out of the public eye.

Out of all of the cases filed by whistleblowers regarding fraud in Iraq, only two of

them have been litigated. The Bush Administration refused to participate in either one.

In the first case, a suit that I helped whistleblowers bring against Custer Battles,

the company’s own internal audit report found the company guilty of criminal fraud. The

U.S. Military suspended the defendants, finding adequate evidence of that fraud. Yet the

Bush Administration did literally nothing to recover the millions of dollars that the

Defendants stole. We brought that case to trial, without the help of the Bush

Administration, and won a jury verdict worth over $10 million for the taxpayers. But the

2

judge ruled that the Bush Administration had messed up the contract paperwork, and now

the issue is on appeal.

The second case is Ms. McBride’s complaint against Halliburton. Her case was

filed well over a year ago. The Bush Administration sat on it for that period, investigated

only one of the five allegations of fraud in her complaint, and then – without explanation

– refused to participate.

In both the Custer Battles case and the Halliburton case, the defendants’ intimate

connections with the Bush Administration are well-known.

As for all of the other whistleblower cases filed against contractors alleged to

have defraud the U.S. Government in Iraq, after three and a half years the Bush

Administration perpetuates the masquerade that it is “investigating” these cases. The

False Claims Act provides that these cases must be brought under seal, and gives the

Administration 60 days to investigate. That 60 days became 60 weeks, and is now

approaching three or more years in some cases. Obtaining one extension after another for

these court-ordered seals permits the Bush Administration to keep these cases out of sight

indefinitely. The last thing that the Administration wants, it appears, is more bad news

coming out of Iraq, and it is willing to throw a monkey wrench into the machinery of

justice to prevent that.

As a result, the Bush Administration has not litigated a single case against a

contractor alleged to have defrauded the U.S. Government in Iraq. It has obtained one

guilty plea from a Halliburton employee, however – but for defrauding the company, not

the U.S. Government.

As one reporter on this beat recently noted, the U.S. military has been spending

over $1 billion a week in Iraq, but DoD’s Inspector General has had zero inspectors on

the ground since at least October 2004.

A few months ago, the Wall Street Journal was kind enough to say that I am

conducting a one-man war against contractor fraud against Iraq. I keep wondering when

we will see reinforcements. President Bush twice took an oath of office to see that the

laws are faithfully executed. Regarding fraud in Iraq, it is plain and simple – he has

violated that oath.

An earlier wartime President, Abraham Lincoln, had this to say about war

profiteers, when he proposed enactment of the whistleblowers’ False Claims Act, seven

score and three years ago:

“Worse than traitors in arms are the men who pretend loyalty to the flag, feast and

fatten on the misfortunes of the Nation, while patriotic blood is crimsoning the

plains of the South, and their countrymen moldering the dust.”

3

As Lincoln himself said, in the Gettysburg Address, it is far above my poor power

to add or detract from this. But let history note that as patriotic blood is crimsoning the

plains of the Sunni Triangle, and as our countrymen lie moldering in the dust, some at

Halliburton, with their Super Bowl Parties and their stock options, feast and fatten on the

misfortunes of this Nation while pretending nothing but loyalty to the flag.

Thank you.

Allan Grayson, Attorney, Pursues Contract Fraud

The Wall Street Journal

Attorney Pursues Iraq Contractor Fraud

Lawyer Uses Civil War-Era Law
To Go After Firms for Corruption,
But Administration Won't Help

By YOCHI J. DREAZEN
April 19, 2006

ORLANDO, Fla. -- From his home office in a pink-painted mansion here, lawyer Alan Grayson is waging a one-man war against contractor fraud in Iraq.

Mr. Grayson has filed dozens of lawsuits against Iraq contractors on behalf of corporate whistle-blowers. He won a huge victory last month when a federal jury in Virginia ordered a security firm called Custer Battles LLC to return $10 million in ill-gotten funds to the government. The ruling marked the first time an American firm was held responsible for financial improprieties in Iraq. But it also highlighted the limits of the broader efforts to stem contractor abuses there.

The False Claims Act that Mr. Grayson used in the Custer Battles case is a Civil War-era statute allowing whistle-blowers to sue contractors suspected of defrauding the government and then keep a chunk of any recovered money. There are an estimated 50 such cases pending against Iraq contractors, including large firms like Halliburton Co.'s Kellogg Brown and Root subsidiary. A technicality in the statute, however, has allowed the Bush administration to prevent the other lawsuits from moving forward. Cases filed under the statute are automatically sealed, which means that they can't proceed to trial -- or even be publicly disclosed -- until the administration makes a formal decision about whether to join them.

The law says such decisions are supposed to be made within 60 days, but with the exception of the Custer Battles case, which it declined to join, the administration has yet to take a position on any of the suits, some of which were filed more than two years ago. The law allows the Justice Department to ask for extensions, which are almost always granted, for as long as it sees fit. The department has kept the other False Claims Act cases from proceeding by repeatedly asking for extensions in each one.

That has left the cases in legal limbo, with lawyers like Mr. Grayson unable to bring them to trial or detail them publicly.

Contracting experts say previous administrations often declined to join in False Claims Act lawsuits but that the Bush administration's refusal to unseal the cases is unprecedented. Justice Department spokesman Charles Wilson says he can't discuss sealed cases or comment on why the department has yet to act on them. "All of the cases are examined on their merits," Mr. Wilson says. With the Bush administration sitting on the sidelines, primary responsibility for pursuing the Iraq fraud cases rests with plaintiffs' lawyers like Mr. Grayson, a Harvard-educated lawyer who began his career defending federal contractors but now makes his living going after them.

FIGHT FOR IRAQ

See continuing coverage of developments in Iraq, including a look back at three years of war. Plus, see an interactive map of major insurgent attacks.

"With the sheriff asleep in the office, the only way you get justice is with private lawyers like Alan Grayson willing to step up and take down these fraudulent companies," says Patrick Burns, the spokesman for the advocacy group Taxpayers Against Fraud. "Alan Grayson showed that you can do that even without help from the government."

Though it is unclear when the cases will proceed to trial, Mr. Grayson is continuing to press ahead as best he can. He and other lawyers in his firm travel the country taking depositions, gathering documents and interviewing prospective witnesses for the dozens of currently pending lawsuits. Mr. Grayson says he also regularly passes information to the federal investigators probing the cases and the prosecutors deciding whether the government will participate in them.

A fierce critic of the war in Iraq, Mr. Grayson drives an aging Cadillac emblazoned with antiadministration bumper stickers such as "Bush Lied, People Died." He says the administration's botched handling of Iraq opened the door for corrupt contractors to improperly reap fortunes there. At a hearing in February 2005 held by Democratic senators, Mr. Grayson asserted that the administration had "not lifted a finger to recover tens of millions of dollars our whistle-blowers allege was stolen from the government."

His opinions on the matter haven't shifted since. "The Bush administration has made a conscious decision to sweep the cases under the rug for as long as possible," he says today. "And the more bad news that comes out of Iraq, the more motivation they have to do so."

For the contractors in his cross hairs, Mr. Grayson, 48, is a formidable opponent. He received his undergraduate, master's and law degrees from Harvard. He made millions during a two-year stint as the president of IDT Corp., a start-up that has since grown into one of the nation's largest providers of discount telecommunications services. Mr. Grayson says he has poured hundreds of thousands of dollars of personal funds into his small eight-person law firm to help defray the costs of pursuing Iraq fraud cases that may not make it to trial for years. "I have deep enough pockets to subsidize the legal work," he says.

If he prevails, he might fill those deep pockets. Whistle-blowers generally receive 30% of any penalty, although the exact portion of every award is set by the judge in each case. Lawyers like Mr. Grayson, in turn, receive 30% to 50% of whatever the whistle-blowers get. "It's really a financial crapshoot," he says.

Mr. Grayson's firm switched its focus from working for contractors to representing individual whistle-blowers shortly after U.S. forces swept into Iraq in March 2003. He says the firm made the move because they began to be contacted by whistle-blowers who were referred by former clients and others.

Two of his first clients were William D. Baldwin, a former manager for Custer Battles, and Robert J. Isakson, a construction subcontractor who had worked with the firm. The company, run by a pair of politically connected military veterans, had won security contracts in Iraq worth more than $100 million. But the two men told Mr. Grayson that they had evidence the firm was substantially overcharging the U.S. occupation authority.

Mr. Grayson filed suit against the company under the False Claims Act in February 2004, but it languished under seal until that fall, when the Justice Department formally declined to join the case. The government never explained its decision. The case finally went before a judge in February.

After a contentious three-week trial, a federal jury on March 9 found the company's two founders, along with a business partner, guilty of using fake invoices from shell companies to overcharge the authorities by millions of dollars. The jury ordered the men to pay $10 million in penalties, with Mr. Grayson's clients standing to receive about $3 million of the money. Mr. Grayson declined to say how much money he will be paid. David Douglass, a lawyer for Custer Battles, says the company has appealed the verdict.

While waiting for the government to act on the other lawsuits, Mr. Grayson is weighing a career change. His congressional district is represented by a conservative Republican, and Mr. Grayson is strongly considering seeking the Democratic nomination to oppose him. He says his campaign, if he chooses to run, would center on the war in Iraq.

Write to Yochi J. Dreazen at [email protected]