He was used as a scapegoat for the company's failures.
victim
Frequency:
75
%
He was just a victim of circumstances.
patsy
Frequency:
70
%
He was made the patsy in the elaborate scheme.
dupe
Frequency:
60
%
She felt like a dupe for believing his lies.
Idiomatic Expressions for fall guy
Phrase: Find a fall guy
Meaning: To assign blame or responsibility to someone in order to protect oneself or others.
Usage: The manager tried to find a fall guy to blame for the project's failure.