Whistleblower Protection Blog : Whistleblower Lawyer & Attorney : National Whistleblower Legal Defense and Education Fund : Whistleblower Protection, Fraud Claims : Washington DC

Tune in tomorrow at 1:00pm EDT to Honesty Without Fear on Progressive Radio Network.

In the first half hour, Richard Renner interviews whistleblower Michael DeGuelle about his landmark case against S.C. Johnson & Son, Inc. Deguelle was fired after he blew the whistle on the company’s multi-million dollar tax fraud scheme. DeGuelle filed a RICO lawsuit claiming that his discharge was part of the 10-year tax fraud scheme. On December 15th, the Seventh Circuit held that the retaliation and the tax fraud are related, and DeGuelle's case can go forward. This is a precedent setting decision that opens the door to RICO remedies for whistleblowers. DeGuelle will share his story and explain why this decision is so important.

You can take action to improve protections for whistleblowers by signing the petition.

In the second half hour, Lindsey Williams and Dean Zerbe, National Managing Director for Alliant Group and Former Tax Counsel for the Senate Finance Committee discuss the IRS Whistleblower Program. Find out where the weaknesses in the program are and what you need to know if you are considering filing a claim.

Submit Your Question to be asked on air during the show or call in live to 1-888-874-4888.

Missed last week's episode?? You can listen to the podcast.

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Tune in tomorrow at 1:00pm EDT to Honesty Without Fear on Progressive Radio Network.

In the first half hour, David Colapinto interviews peace activist Kevin Zeese, Co-Chair of Come Home America, about the ongoing hearing for PFC Bradley Manning and the campaigns by the Bradley Manning Support Network to support his release. Demand an end to the cruel and unusual punishment of PFC Manning by taking action.

In the second half hour, Richard Renner discusses state False Claims Act statutes with attorney Mark Hanna from Murphy Anderson PLLC. Learn about states that are aggressively combating fraud and ones that are allowing your state tax dollars to be wasted.

Submit Your Question to be asked on air during the show or call in live to 1-888-874-4888.

Missed last week's episode?? You can listen to the podcast.

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I had the pleasure today of interviewing Donna Boehme about the impact Dodd-Frank has had on corporate compliance programs. Our discussion about creating a corporate culture open to employee reports led to an interesting case detailed in her recently published column in Compliance and Ethics Professional. In the article, she talks about a group of employees at two national banks (BNY Mellon and State Street) who blew the whistle on approximately $2 billion worth of systematic foreign exchange trading fraud. These employees were recruited to blow the whistle by Harry Markopolos, the man who figured out what Bernie Madoff was doing and tried to warn the SEC years before the case erupted.

Ms. Boehme says the fact that these employees were actively recruited might lead some to believe that a “new breed” of whistleblowers, recruited to expose fraud by investigators outside the company, might be born out of the Dodd-Frank Act, but it is too soon to tell. She explains that the new SEC program for whistleblower disclosures has received over 334 tips in its first seven weeks. Boehme argues that instead of trying to “find the whistleblower” when fraud investigations get started, corporations should have a high-level Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer who is independent from the legal department and with direct access to the Board of Directors. This first test case highlights that companies should seriously evaluate whether their corporate culture supports internal whistleblowing, or be prepared to pay the price when they decide to go directly to external authorities. She does not believe that monetary rewards are the sole motivator, and cites recent surveys that employees prefer to report internally (culture trumps money).

Listen to the podcast of today’s show to hear the rest of our discussion.

Ms. Boehme is the principal at Compliance Strategists LLC in New Providence, New Jersey, a former chief compliance and ethics officer, a member of the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics’s Advisory Board, and the editor of the weekly CS Newsflash.

* Legal Intern David Kutch contributed to this posting.

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Tune in tomorrow at 1:00pm EDT to Honesty Without Fear on Progressive Radio Network.

In the first half hour, Lindsey Williams discusses Dodd-Frank’s impact on corporate compliance programs with Donna Boehme, Principle of Compliance Strategists, LLC and former head of compliance for BP.

In the second half hour, The Gold Agent discusses with Jane Turner his decision to blow the whistle on the gold industry’s deceptive practices and reveals his identity. You can take action to improve protections for whistleblowers by signing the petition.

Submit Your Question to be asked on air during the show or call in live to 1-888-874-4888.

Missed last week's episode?? You can listen to the podcast.

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Tune in tomorrow at 1:00pm EDT to Honesty Without Fear on Progressive Radio Network.

In the first half hour, Steve Kohn discusses the PFC Bradley Manning case and what rights national security whistleblowers currently have. Jeff Paterson, Project Director for Courage to Resist, shares insight about the status of PFC Manning’s legal case and the campaigns by the Bradley Manning Support Network to support his release. You can take action to protect PFC Manning.

In the second half hour, Richard Renner and OSHA whistleblower Gregg Stoerrle tackle the question of why the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) whistleblower law is the worst federal whistleblower law. Richard explains what health and safety whistleblowers can do to protect their rights without using OSHA and what legislative fixes are in the works.

Submit Your Question to be asked on air during the show or call in live to 1-888-874-4888.

Missed last week's episode?? You can listen to the podcast.

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