WASHINGTON, Feb. 21, 2024 (GlobeNewswire) — Sanford Heisler Sharp today announced H. Vincent McKnight, Jr. has been elected to a two-year term as Chair of the Board of Directors of The Anti-Fraud Coalition and Taxpayers Against Fraud, sister whistleblower advocacy organizations headquartered in the nation’s capital.
McKnight is Co-Chair of Sanford Heisler Sharp’s Whistleblower & Qui Tam Practice, Co-Managing Partner of the firm’s Washington, DC, office and the firm’s Co-Ombudsperson. His practice focuses on representing corporate whistleblowers who have exposed government contract procurement fraud, banking misconduct, securities fraud, and other corporate malfeasance. He has also represented executives in sensitive wrongful discharge and discrimination cases.
“I am honored to be chosen as Chair of The Anti-Fraud Coalition’s and Taxpayers Against Fraud’s Board,” McKnight said. “I look forward to working with the leadership, members and staff of both organizations to continue supporting whistleblowers and improving relationships with our government partners to protect taxpayer dollars and investors.”
McKnight’s notable results as a qui tam attorney have included representing:
- the former Executive Vice President and Chief Security Officer of Wells Fargo who assisted the OCC, SEC, and DOJ in recovering $3.5 billion in fines and penalties arising out of the “fake account” scandal;
- the former Director of Contracts at Navistar who alleged the company misrepresented its pricing structure to the DOD and overcharged the government in the MRAP vehicle purchase, which resulted in Navistar agreeing to pay $50 million to settle the matter;
- the former Director of Contracts at CDM Smith who alleged the company developed an automated process to conduct an audit that dramatically cut the man-hours necessary to complete the job but continued to charge the government as if the work was still being performed manually, resulting in CDM Smith paying $10 million to resolve these allegations;
- the former Director of Contracts at NetApp who alleged that company violated the GSA “Best Price Clause” and overcharged the government by millions, resulting in NetApp paying $128 million to resolve these allegations; and
- a former executive at Tenet who alleged that company overcharged the government by ordering and billing for unnecessary medical tests for patients, leading Tenet to settle these claims for $1.4 million.
A graduate of University of Pennsylvania School of Law, McKnight regularly leads and participates on panels on whistleblower laws at the ABA, the Federal Bar Association, and Taxpayers Against Fraud and is a recognized thought leader and media spokesperson on important whistleblowers matters. He was a member of the team that consulted with then-Maryland State Senator (now U.S. Congressman) Jamie Raskin to draft the Maryland False Claims Act. He also previously served on the Board of Governors for the Trial Lawyers Association of Metropolitan DC.
“Vince has been an active, dedicated advocate for whistleblowers throughout his career,” said David Sanford, Chairman of Sanford Heisler Sharp. “We are delighted but not surprised that he has risen through the ranks of these organizations to assume this important leadership role.”
Before joining Sanford Heisler Sharp, Mr. McKnight completed a clerkship for the Honorable William C. Pryor on the District of Columbia Superior Court and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. Over his 40-plus-year career, he has tried more than 50 cases to verdict and appeared in courts across the U.S. Mr. McKnight also litigated Adams v. Cochran, the case in which the DC Court of Appeals first departed from the employment-at-will doctrine (the assumption that employment is for an indefinite amount of time and may be terminated at any time) in the District of Columbia.
His professional accolades include being named among 2024 Best Lawyers in America in Qui Tam law; the 2023 Lawdragon 500 Leading Civil Rights & Plaintiff Employment Lawyers; a 2022 National Law Journal recognition as a Plaintiffs’ Lawyer Trailblazer; a Benchmark Litigation Labor & Employment Star – Northeast from 2018 through 2020; a 2021 Law360 MVP in government contracts; Best Lawyers in America from 2018 through 2022; a DC Super Lawyer in 2009, 2011-2012, and 2017 through 2020; and a Top Rated Lawyer in Maryland by the Legal Network.
About Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP
Sanford Heisler Sharp, LLP is a national public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in Baltimore, New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Diego, and Nashville. Sanford Heisler Sharp focuses on employment discrimination, Title IX, wage and hour, whistleblower, criminal/sexual violence, and financial services matters. The firm has recovered over $1 billion for its clients through many verdicts and settlements. The National Law Journal recognized Sanford Heisler Sharp as 2021 Employment Rights Firm of the Year and 2021 Human Rights Firm of the Year.
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For more information, contact Jamie Moss, newsPRos, at 201-788-0142 or [email protected].