When Whistleblowing Pays Off Big

The number of tales by whistleblowers of how hard it is and how it seldom pays off are legion, but occasionally, there is a story where it does pay off and in a big way. Frequently, they are linked to settlements of a False Claims Act, where the government is the party actually pursuing the claim. This story from the Philadelphia Inquirer will get your attention:

"Three former Schering-Plough Corp. workers - Charles Alcorn, 40, Beatrice Manning, 57, and G. Raymond Pironti, 36 - will split a $31.7 million award from federal prosecutors. The details of fraudulent practices they gathered resulted in fines and damages of $345.5 million and settlement of criminal and civil charges that the company offered kickbacks to health insurers and billed Medicaid too much for Claritin allergy pills."

And what does one do after the whistle has blown, so successfully? The one who appeared at the press conference announcing the story is, where else, law school.