Giantkillers : The Team and the Law that Helped Whistle-Blowers Recover America's Stolen Billions
Author: Henry Scammell
List Price: $25.00
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ISBN: 087113909X
Publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press (09 February, 2004)
Sales Rank: 57,216
Average Customer Rating: 4 out of 5
Customer Reviews
Rating: 5 out of 5
Read about the samuri fraud fighters
Though Henry Scammell has chosen to illuminate the federal False Claims Act through the high-profile cases of a single law firm, we now have a growing False Claims Act bar reshaping corporate culture, and an ever-increasing number of states embracing state versions of the law. The result is that in boardrooms across the country there is a new realization that fraud against the government can be effectively prosecuted, and that triple damages may be exceed out of date cost of doing business assumptions based on the wrist-slap penalties that formerly pertained. Henry Scammell's eminently readable book makes clear that nailing the con artists depends on a rare breed of individual who is willing to risk career and peace of mind to see justice done. The journey is rarely easy, and never short. Scammell recounts whistleblowers that fought for years and risked marriages and bankruptcy to see their cases through. While some focus on the economic payoff at the end, Scammell pays attention to the terror of the ride - a ride that is often shared by law firms that invest hundreds of thousands of dollars and years of time building cases in which the government often shows only a passing interest -- at least in the beginning. Part history book, part psychological narrative, and part forensic fraud report, Giant Killers weaves a compelling tale about the personalities and travails of doing the right thing - and the ultimate payoff in the end.
This book is a good read and you should read it before John Grisham does a novel on one of the stories Scammell relates.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Good read and worth buying!
There are a lot of ways to judge a book, but the most important is whether it is a good read. This book is not only well written, it is entertaining, and it provides a glimmer of hope for those of us that despair over the scale of government waste. Government agencies are often embarrassed when ripped off, and are therefore slow to prosecute. What this book makes clear is that the secret to ferreting out fraud is to deputize citizens who are often better placed to understand the complexities of corporate scams than many government lawyers, and who are often highly motivated as well. The motivation is not always monetary. More often then not is a personal and righteous anger at being asked to lie about the quality and the price of the goods being produced at taxpayer expense. Just as a small match can extinguish a lot of darkness, so too can a single whistleblower extinguish a lot of fraud by changing the economics of lying and cheating. The system must work; last year False Claims Act settlements were up 75%, and it's been a while since I read an article about a $700 toilet seat. Haliburton better watch out!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Fascinating history of the "False Claims Act"
Henry Scammells latest offering is an interesting read from a couple of different perspectives. Students of history will enjoy reading about the emergence of the "False Claims Act." in the 1860's and how a handful of individuals recognized how it might become relevant again in the late twentieth century. This law, supported by President Abraham Lincoln and enacted by the Congress during the Civil War was designed to encourage citizens to "blow the whistle" on fraud. It had been quite effective in the mid to late nineteenth century but its provisions were hopelessly out of date and the law had essentially been dormant for fifty years. John Phillips, a talented and committed young lawyer who founded the Center for Law in the Public Interest became aware of the law in 1983 and immediately recognized its potential. Phillips knew that if the law was revised properly that it would have a major impact on public interest law. He found a pair of powerful allies in the Congress who helped shepherd through the needed changes to the law. They were strange bedfellows indeed. Chuck Grassley, the conservative Republican senator from Iowa and Howard Berman, a liberal Democratic congressman from California played key roles in getting the revised "False Claims Act" passed.
Most of the book, however, is devoted to the trials and tribulations of those courageous individuals who felt morally bound to stand up and risk everything to challenge practices and procedures they believed to be illegal and immoral. Those cited in this book came from a wide range of industries. Jim Alderson recognized fraud in the health care industry. Emil Stache found his company was shipping obviously defective products to the Defense Department. Michael Lissack decided that he could not in good conscience remain silent about the unchecked corruption he had become aware of on Wall Street. And there were others....many others. Scammell does a terrific job of revealing what it was like to be one of of these "whistleblowers". In future years, this book will prove to be an extremely valuable resource for anyone who finds themselves in this position.
After reading the book, I learned that nearly 60% of the suits filed under the "False Claims Act" were dismissed. If this is true I would agree that the author should have taken a bit of time discussing the reasons why. The author is obviously a huge proponent of this law. And a great many government employees are not happy with the "False Claims Act" and it's provision to allow individuals to sue contractors on the governments behalf. Too bad. Governmental inertia is a major reason why the law was resurrected in the first place. This is a book you will enjoy and learn from at the same time. Similar Products
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