The chief financial officer of two hospitals, an emergency room physician and others didn’t know each other when they blew the whistle on a scheme orchestrated by Naples-based hospital chain Health Management Associates to fraudulently boost profits.

But nine years after eight whistleblower lawsuits were filed, they stand to collect for their roles in a $262 million settlement the U.S. Justice Department announced with HMA and corporate parent Community Health Systems, which acquired HMA in 2014 for $3.6 billion.