Michael Ronickher

Publications

“Trump’s IRS Chief Counsel Choice Not a Friend to Whistleblowers,” Bloomberg Tax (May 29, 2025) with Eric Havian and Chris McLamb

“The IRS just paid 3 whistleblowers a record $74 million award—and tax evaders should be very afraid,” Fortune (September 27, 2024) with Chris McLamb

“The IRS Is Stuck in a Political Logjam–But Whistleblowers Can Stop Its Decline,” Fortune (June 9, 2023) with Chris McLamb (paywall)

“A Recent Case Could Undermine the Rules That Have Been Protecting Taxpayer Money From Fraud Since the Time of Lincoln,” Fortune (June 23, 2022) with Eric Havian with Ari Yampolsky (paywall)

“Hochul to Tax Cheats: Just Do It Quietly and Don’t Get Caught,” The Times Union (January 25, 2022) (with Ginger Buck)

“What Maryland Can Learn From the IRS on the State’s New Tax Program,” The Washington Post (July 9, 2021)with Ari Yampolsky

“SEC Examines Relationship Between Bad Books and Bribery Schemes,” New York Law Journal (August 11, 2020) with Poppy Alexander (paywall)

Comments on the North American Securities Administrators Association’s (NASAA) Model Whistleblower Award and Protection Act (June 30, 2020) with Eric Havian and Chris McLamb

“The Changes Helping IRS Whistleblower Program Grow Up,” Law360 (September 4, 2019) (with Carolina Gonzalez) (paywall)

“The Need for Whistleblowers in AML Enforcement,” Banking Exchange (April 22, 2019) with Eric Havian

“AML Enforcement Needs More Whistleblowers,” American Banker (January 7, 2019) with Eric Havian (paywall)

“Why We Need Anti-Money Laundering Whistleblower Awards,” Law360 (December 6, 2018) with Eric Havian (paywall)

Career

Michael Ronickher is a founding partner of Whistleblower Partners, where he exclusively represents whistleblowers in qui tams and under government reward programs. He has helped clients secure some of the most high-profile outcomes under the False Claims Act and the IRS Whistleblower Program, including a $581 million healthcare fraud settlement against Kaiser and a historic $79 million award for a tax whistleblower.

Mike has extensive trial and litigation experience from nine years at the Department of Justice, and since 2017 he has used those skills to represent whistleblowers in qui tam litigation. He has helped clients use the state and federal False Claims Acts to expose fraud schemes in healthcare and a wide range of other industries, including customs and tariff fraud, materials testing and manufacturing defects, and cybersecurity failures. In healthcare, in addition to Kaiser, his fraud cases have included an up to $100 million settlement with a Medicare Advantage plan based on improper medical addenda and a $35 million settlement for novel violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.

While at DOJ, Mike litigated tax and financial stimulus frauds, and he uses that experience as a leader in the firm’s representation of tax whistleblowers under the IRS reward program. He has represented clients with claims involving offshore assets, transfer pricing, and complex tax avoidance structures.

Mike is recognized as a valuable contributor to the conversations on whistleblower representation, healthcare fraud, and tax evasion, speaking, writing, and being quoted regularly on those topics. He has also received numerous awards for his work as a whistleblower attorney and his prior service at DOJ.

Education

Awards