ArcelorMittal received over 200 reports of fraud last year, but the company found none to be significant. If you are a whistleblower who reported bribery or corruption, you may be surprised to hear that reporting to the company is not your only option. If you have witnessed serious fraud, such as bribery or corruption, you can report it anonymously, for free, to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). In addition, if your information leads to a fine, you can obtain a reward. The average whistleblower reward paid by the SEC is ~$5 million dollars. and the largest award was over $200 million for a whistleblower who reported FCPA violations.
The SEC Whistleblower Rewards Program
The possibility of rewards comes from the SEC Whistleblower Rewards Program. If you haven’t heard of it, that’s probably because companies may not want you to know about this program. The program allows employees (from any country) to report misconduct anonymously to the SEC and claim a reward for reporting. Even if you already reported misconduct internally at ArcelorMittal, you can still claim a reward by reporting to the SEC, provided you act quickly. Time is of the essence when it comes to claiming a reward as the program has strict deadlines for reporting and claiming a reward. Only the first person to report information gets credit for it, so if you don’t act quickly, someone else could claim your reward.
How Do I Report?
Reporting is easy if you use an award-winning whistleblower law firm like FBR. FBR is a whistleblower law firm in New York that has already helped clients all over the world report millions of dollars in fraud and corruption. FBR provides confidential consultations for free to help you figure out if you could claim a reward. FBR does not charge clients unless they obtain a reward and represents numerous clients from outside the U.S. Using the experienced attorneys at FBR will help ensure that you can report quickly, correctly and anonymously. If you want a free confidential consultation with our experienced whistleblower attorneys, click here, to get in touch. Alternatively, you can take our anonymous online evaluation:
Even if you’re not interested in reporting to the SEC, it’s important that you speak to a lawyer so have enough information to make an informed decision. Reporting in the wrong way or to the wrong person can affect your legal right to be protected from retaliation, your ability to bring a lawsuit against the company and your ability to claim a whistleblower reward. An experienced whistleblower attorney can show you the correct procedure for reporting, ensure you respect legal rules and company rules. Given that consultations are provided for free and covered by the attorney-client privilege, there is no sense in waiting for someone else to claim your reward. Speak to one of our experienced whistleblower attorneys here or that our award-winning online whistleblower evaluation at the bottom of this page.
Can I Report Anonymously?
Yes, provided you use an attorney licensed in the U.S. you can report anonymously to the SEC. This means your attorney can ensure that your identity is never publicly revealed, even if you win a whistleblower reward.
Who Is Entitled To Rewards?
The program is open to people from any country and there is no requirement that you work for ArcelorMittal. People who work for contractors, subsidiaries or suppliers can also participate. The main exclusions from the program are lawyers, who typically cannot qualify for rewards. In addition, people who work in compliance or internal audit are eligible, but must follow special procedures when reporting. If you fall into any of these categories, we highly recommend speaking with an attorney.
What If I Was Involved In The Misconduct?
Even people who were involved in the misconduct can report it to the SEC and claim a reward. However, participating in the rewards program does not guarantee immunity. This is why you should speak to an attorney before reporting. There is no substitution for experienced legal advice.
What Type of Conduct Can I Report?
FBR helps clients report bribery or corruption, often known as violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). FCPA violations have resulted in some of the largest rewards and that is our focus. If you have information on a possible FCPA violation, you should contact us now.
In addition to FCPA violations, you can also report any of the following:
- Accounting fraud;
- Investor fraud;
- Failure to keep accurate books and records;
- Serious breach of internal controls;
- Insider trading;
- Serious corporate governance failures; and
- Revenue manipulation.
If you have information about any of the above, you may have information that could lead to a whistleblower reward. If you have any questions, feel free to give us a call.
Why Work With FBR?
FBR is an award-winning law firm that reports corporate crime, specifically bribery and corruption. Our team is led by award-winning New York whistleblower attorney John Peterson. John has worked for almost a decade on corporate crime and corruption cases around the globe involving the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Department of Justice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Serious Frauds Office and the Financial Conduct Authority. John focuses exclusively on the FCPA, whistleblower and securities laws, and regularly contributes for major media outlets such as Reuters, MSN, Yahoo and Bloomberg. Most recently, John was named a “Top Lawyer” by Authority Magazine, featured on “Meet The Experts” by LexisNexis and led the FBR team to win the New World Report Award for Legal Innovation.
FBR is one of the only law firms in the world who focus on FCPA reporting and has a history of helping clients report millions of dollars in bribes and corrupt payments:
Recent Highlights
- Profiled in Corporate Crime Reporter for our work with FCPA whistleblowers
- Featured on Bloomberg News
- Named a 2022 “Top Lawyer” by Authority Magazine
- Appeared on Reuters to discuss the effects of the Russian Invasion of Ukraine on FCPA enforcement
- Represents several foreign clients in FCPA investigations before the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
- Won the New World Report Award for Legal Innovation
If you’re considering becoming a whistleblower, get a free consultation from award-winning attorney John Peterson now.
