Whistleblowers can be rewarded for information “leading to a civil or criminal forfeiture involving various federal agencies. Asset forfeiture under the broader authority of the Attorney General to manage the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund. The Department of Justice is required to report on how the funds are used. The Availability of Appropriations, defined in Title 28 U.S.C. Section 524, allows the Department of Justice (DOJ) to use existing funds for specific court-related expenses without requesting additional money from Congress.
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Establishing an Effective DOJ Whistleblower Rewards Program
Asset Forfeiture Whistleblower Award Law
28 U.S.C. 524 (c)(1) There is established in the United States Treasury a special fund to be known as the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund (hereafter in this subsection referred to as the “Fund”) which shall be available to the Attorney General without fiscal year limitation for the following law enforcement purposes —
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28 U.S.C. 524 (c)(1)(B) the payment of awards for information or assistance directly relating to violations of the criminal drug laws of the United States or of chapter 77 of title 18, chapter 110 of title 18, sections 1956 and 1957 of title 18, sections 5313 and 5324 of title 31, and section 6050I of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986;
28 U.S.C. 524 (c)(1)(C) at the discretion of the Attorney General, the payment of awards for information or assistance leading to a civil or criminal forfeiture involving any Federal agency participating in the Fund.
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28 U.S.C. 524 (c)(2) Any award paid from the Fund, as provided in paragraph (1)(B) or (C), shall be paid at the discretion of the Attorney General or his delegate, under existing departmental delegation policies for the payment of awards, except that the authority to pay an award of $250,000 or more shall not be delegated to any person other than the Deputy Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, or the Administrator of the Drug Enforcement Administration. Any award pursuant to paragraph (1)(B) shall not exceed $500,000. Any award pursuant to paragraph (1)(C) shall not exceed the lesser of $500,000 or one-fourth of the amount realized by the United States from the property forfeited, without both the personal approval of the Attorney General and written notice within 30 days thereof to the Chairmen and ranking minority members of the Committees on Appropriations and the Judiciary of the Senate and of the House of Representatives.
