2026 Whistleblower Lawyers of the Year
During its 26th Annual Conference, The Anti-Fraud Coalition bestowed the Whistleblower Lawyers of the Year Award to the Zafirov constitutional team, Morgan Verkamp and Tejinder Singh of Sparacino, PLLC. Together, they successfully defended the constitutionality of the False Claims Act’s qui tam provisions before the Eleventh Circuit in U.S. ex rel. Zafirov v. Florida Medical Associates, LLC, at one of the most important moments for the continued existence of the FCA.
This award recognizes whistleblower lawyers who achieved outstanding results, elevated the practice of law, and/or advanced the fight against fraud through their efforts in the last year.
Morgan Verkamp has represented whistleblowers in federal qui tam cases for more than 25 years. The firm’s efforts have recovered over $1 billion in damages for taxpayers and hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal penalties, and the firm continually elevates the practice of law as an elite example of effective lawyering.
After the Middle District of Florida struck down the FCA’s qui tam provisions as unconstitutional under the Appointments Clause, the court held that a relator was an officer of the United States subject to appointment and removal by the Executive under Article II. The decision was unprecedented and attempted to upend decades of established precedent. Morgan Verkamp, which had remained unwavering in its commitment to the case, its client, and the FCA for over seven years, enlisted its sharpest minds to defend the statute on appeal. The team navigated historical and legal arguments, highlighted the overwhelming consensus among the circuit courts that have considered the issue, and detailed the longstanding harmony of the qui tam provisions with constitutional principles and practice.
Tejinder Singh, a partner at Sparacino, PLLC, is a vital weapon in the relator’s bar’s efforts to banish fraud and an exceptionally skilled appellate advocate who takes on some of the most important issues involving the False Claims Act. He defended the constitutionality of the FCA in Zafirov before the Eleventh Circuit alongside the Morgan Verkamp team.
Mr. Singh spent more than a decade at an appellate firm before joining Sparacino. He has argued many high-stakes cases, and in 2014 he became the first turbaned Sikh to argue a case before the Supreme Court. A UC Berkeley alumnus who was, surprising no one, king of the debate team, he was introduced to FCA practice when his firm took on U.S. ex rel. Campie v. Gilead Sciences. Few practitioners were focused on appellate advocacy on behalf of relators before he dug in. He recognized the FCA as a chance to do “real good-guy work,” which embodies what The Anti-Fraud Coalition strives for.
“When an unprecedented ruling threatened to dismantle the False Claims Act and strip whistleblowers of their most vital enforcement tool, the Zafirov constitutional team rose to the challenge. Morgan Verkamp and Tejinder Singh demonstrated extraordinary legal acumen and steadfast resolve before the Eleventh Circuit, defending the constitutional foundation of the qui tam provisions at a critical crossroads. Their victory protects the public fisc, reinforces decades of precedent, and safeguards the future of anti-fraud enforcement nationwide,” said Jacklyn DeMar.
Award Nomination Process
The Whistleblower Lawyers of the Year Award and others are nominated by the general membership of The Anti-Fraud Coalition before the organization’s annual conference. Once submitted, The Anti-Fraud Coalition’s Conference & Member Education Committee deliberates and votes on award recipients.
