Temat: WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2013 – 17.

WHISTLEBLOWER NEWS 2013 – 17.

September 29, 2013

New York Times: NSA Gathers Data on Social Connections of US Citizens
Summary: The latest disclosure from Snowden covers how the NSA is using the information it collects to "create sophisticated graphs of some Americans’ social connections that can identify their associates, their locations at certain times, their traveling companions and other personal information."

Reuters: US Internal Watchdog Finds NSA Workers Spied on Significant Others
Summary: This important piece from last week shows that at least 12 NSA employees abused spying software to monitor their significant others, according to a letter sent from the agency's internal watchdog to Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa).

Forbes: Grassley Blows Whistle on IRS Whistleblower Program
Summary: In other news related to Senator Grassley, he recently penned a letter to the nominee to head the IRS, John Koskinen, noting that while there are many whistleblowers coming to the IRS, few are being rewarded or even having their voices heard at all. The IRS Whistleblower Office has been notoriously slow in processing cases since handing out one “whopping” $104 million to UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld several years ago.

New York: 134 Minutes with Frank Serpico
Summary: Legendary NYPD whistleblower Frank Serpico has recently returned to the spotlight for his involvement in the case of current NYPD whistleblower Adrian Schoolcraft. The former officer who famously testified against the his police department and was shot by his fellow officers in early 1971 has admitted to counseling Schoolcraft, though says he will not ‘bust his chops’ to come up with any documents to prove his involvement.

Bloomberg: Countrywide Whistleblower Says US Talks Spurred Him to Sue
Summary: A former official at Bank of America’s Countrywide mortgage unit says he filed a whistleblower lawsuit against his former employer after he heard that the US government may settle with the controversial lender. Under whistleblower laws, the former employee could collect as much as $1.6 million. Countrywide has been embroiled deep in scandal since it was revealed that the lender had created a process to “speed the approval” of prime and subprime mortgages, which they then sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Washington Times: Marine Corps Whistleblower Faces Vengeance From Superiors
Summary: The Marine Corps officer who blew the whistle on his supervisor’s intervention into a recent case brought against eight marines has now become the subject of retaliation. The case brought charges against the soldiers for allegedly urinating on the bodies of dead Taliban soldiers. After making his allegations that superiors intervened in the proceedings to protect the accused soldiers, the whistleblower was transferred, ordered not to communicate with officials and had his computer seized.

A Tale of Two Companies
Summary: Guest blogger Michael Winston, the former Countrywide executive who blew the whistle on the company's fraudulent activities leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, details his experience on the GAP blog as a truth-teller in the finance industry.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that another Countrywide whistleblower testified this week in a case against Bank of America, which bought Countrywide during the financial crisis. He said his concerns about loan quality issues and problematic lending practices were disregarded and that he was marginalized.

Military Times: Marine Corps Whistleblower Relieved Following Allegations of Email Harassment
Summary: Major James Weirick, who blew the whistle on Marine scout snipers accused of urinating on the corpses of Taliban fighters in 2011, has been removed from his job and asked to submit to a psychiatric evaluation. The move came after allegations that he sent a harassing email to a Marine officer he accused of unlawful command influence in the case. Weirick's attorney said the timing of his removal is suspect since it happened right before an executive officer of one of the accused snipers in the urination scandal is due to appear before a board of inquiry, and that the action is an attempt to undermine Weirick's credibility.

Village Voice: NYPD Internal Affairs Went Digging for Dirt on Whistleblower Cop Adrian Schoolcraft's Father and Sister
Summary: Adrian Schoolcraft, the Brooklyn cop who exposed corruption by his bosses in 2009, filed a lawsuit against the city after alleged retaliation including being forced into the Jamaica Hospital psychiatric ward. In a hearing on the case this week, records revealed that during the NYPD's investigation of Schoolcraft in 2010, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau had run the names of the whistleblower's father and sister through criminal databases even though they were not under criminal investigation.

TuscaloosaNews.com (AL): Tuscaloosa Ponders Whistleblower Policy; Those Who Reported Fraud Will Be Protected
Summary: Tuscaloosa's city auditor recommended the creation of a whistleblower policy that would protect city employees and residents who report government wrongdoing. The council is expected to approve the new policy next week.

The Guardian: Whistleblowers – Why They Should Be Listened To
Summary: This opinion piece describes the important role employees can play as "an institution's best early warning system," but that fear of retaliation often keeps workers silent. The author urges local authorities to create a culture that makes it easy and attractive for concerned individuals to report issues.

ProPublica: SEC Wins Big Fine from JPMorgan But Execs Skate Free
Summary: This article details how, although the SEC was able to prompt representatives from JP Morgan to admit wrongdoing regarding the $6 billion London Whale trading scandal, culpable JP Morgan officials who repeatedly made misleading statements to shareholders and the public are not going to be charged. This is indicative of many financial accountability whistleblowers' assertions made to GAP that the officers of major financial institutions who commit fraud and mislead the public do not face legal ramification

Full texts: http://www.whistleblower.org/
GAP's mission is to promote corporate and government accountability by protecting whistleblowers, advancing occupational free speech, and empowering citizen activists.