A former manager of an Ameriprise branch office in Pennsylvania filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit alleging he was fired in retaliation for raising complaints of fraudulent pracitces.

The lawsuit was filed by Michael Loscalso on october 8 after an incomplete investigation by the Federal Department of Labor. Ameriprise’s field governance boarded voted to fire Loscalso last November, concluding that it was he who failed to properly supervise the advisers under him. Loscalso denies this claim.

The lawsuit contends that Loscalso was fired for raising complaints of “fraud, forgery, and other practices.” Chris Reese, a spokesman for the Minneapolis-based Ameriprise, called the lawsuit baseless and said the company will fight it “vigorously.”

Loscalso started witht he firm in 1989 and rose to the position of registered principal and branch manager. He was earning $260,000 a year and supervised several dozen advisers and 60 staff members at the time of his firing.

By bringin a Qui Tam lawsuit, a whistleblower helps expose fraud against the government and can receive between 15 and 30 percent of the amount recovered in the lawsuit. If you have information of fraud against the government, please contact the Qui Tam lawyers of Tycko & Zavareei, LLP, by calling 202-973-0900.

Two energy companies, Dominion Resources Inc. and Marathon Oil Corp., agreed to pay $2.2 million and 4.7 million, respectively, to settled federal allegations they knowingly underpaid royalties from federal and Indian leases.

According to a statement release Friday by the United Stated Department of Justice, the two companies separately violated the False Claims Act by underpaying royalties on natural gas. The settlement resolved contentions that the pair manipulated reports to reduce royalty payments.

“We are committed to protecting public and Indian lands and to ensuring that companies with leases to take natural gas from those lands pay their fair share of royalties,” said Assistant Attorney General Tony West.

The settlements stem from a whistleblower lawsuit filed by Harold Wright. Because he is deceased, Wright’s heirs will receive a $1.8 million share of the settlement.

If you are a whistleblower with information about fraud on the government, you may be able to bring a Qui Tam lawsuit under the False Claims Act. Please contact the Qui Tam Lawyers of Tycko & Zavareei, LLP, at 202-973-0900 today.