Erika A. Kelton
(Washington, D.C.)

Erika A. Kelton has substantial experience with qui tam cases involving fraud in a diverse range of fields. She has handled cases involving fraud in the pharmaceutical, healthcare, telecommunications and computer industries as well as fraud by Wall Street investment banks.

Ms. Kelton also has represented whistleblowers in matters concerning major tax law violations. She was the lead attorney representing a confidential tax informant, known as "Mr. ABC," who provided the IRS with important information about fraudulent tax shelters set up by Wall Street investment firms. The complex, fraudulent tax schemes cost the U.S. Treasury hundreds of millions of dollars. Mr. ABC testified before the Senate Finance Committee about the abusive tax shelters and his experience as a whistleblower for the IRS .

In another high-profile case, Ms. Kelton was the lead attorney in a yield-burning matter involving Internal Revenue Service prohibitions against tax-exempt bond arbitrage. The case returned more than $200 million to the U.S. Treasury.

Recently, Ms. Kelton, along with Phillips & Cohen partner John R. Phillips, were invited participants in a Senate Finance Committee roundtable to discuss the new tax fraud whistleblower law , known as the Tax Relief and Health Care Act of 2006.

Ms. Kelton has been a speaker at several conferences on the False Claims Act and qui tam lawsuits. She has published articles on customs fraud and fraud in the municipal bond market .

Ms. Kelton graduated in 1987 from the University of California (Boalt Hall), where she was Articles Editor of the California Law Review.

From 1987 to 1994 she was associated with Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison in Washington D.C. Her practice at Paul, Weiss focused on False Claims Act litigation, fraud and antitrust investigations, international arbitrations, employment discrimination matters and pro bono Voting Rights Act litigation.