Bradley Birkenfeld

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The Swiss bank whistleblower who outed Americans’ secret USB bank accounts says he has information on more wrongdoing. Bradley Birkenfeld, who is described on his website as the “worlds most celebrated whistleblower,”  appeared at an offshore fraud and financial services conference in Miami in April. Birkenfeld was “treated like a celebrity,” reported journalist Brian Ross, who covered the event for Law & Crime Network, a legal website and streaming service.

The National Whistleblower Center supported Mr. Birkenfeld in his case, which involved a $20 billion tax evasion scheme.Continue Reading Report: Swiss bank whistleblower has more to say, wants a pardon

Whistleblower Directive heading for approval by the European Parliament contains serious deficiencies that impede direct reporting to law enforcement agencies

WASHINGTON, D.C. | July 13, 2018—The National Whistleblower Center (NWC) and leading international bank whistleblower, Mr. Bradley Birkenfeld, have filed a formal response to the European Commission’s proposed Whistleblower Directive. The response highlights serious deficiencies in the proposed Directive that undermine international anti-corruption treaties and place restrictions on the ability of private sector employees to directly report corruption to law enforcement officials.Continue Reading National Whistleblower Center Urges EU to Amend Whistleblower Directive

National Whistleblower Center Executive Director Stephen M. Kohn, in cooperation with the European Center for Whistleblower Rights, has called upon Malta’s Prime Minister Joseph Muscat and the Group of States Against Corruption (GRECO) to protect whistleblower Valery Atanasov.

A former IT administrator at the Malta Gaming Authority (MGA), Mr. Atanasov blew the whistle on dodgy regulatory practices that could have allowed gaming companies to operate without proper oversight. Atanasov explains that some MGA practices “create[s] conditions that allow suspicious financial operations, money laundering, and other criminal practices.”Continue Reading Malta, We Have a Problem

The National Whistleblower Center released a new video featuring four prominent whistleblowers who share their personal stories of blowing the whistle and the backlash they faced for doing the right thing. “Whistleblowers Change the World,“  highlights the crucial role whistleblowers serve in exposing corruption at all levels of society and why we need a sustained grassroots movement to ensure the legal protections they require are upheld.
Continue Reading NWC Releases New Video: “Whistleblowers Change the World”

In 2012, Bradley Birkenfeld made history when he obtained the largest whistleblower reward ever given to an individual whistleblower in the twenty-five year history of federal qui tam or whistleblower reward laws, for reporting IRS Tax Fraud. 
Continue Reading UBS Whistleblower Gives Behind the Scenes Look into Swiss Bank Secrecy

April 18, 2016. Today is “Tax Day,” when millions of Americans honestly pay their fair share of taxes. Today is also a day we all owe thanks to the whistleblowers who forced over 54,000 American tax cheats who held illegal accounts in Switzerland to plead guilty to their crimes and pay their back taxes and penalties.

These prosecutions, both civil and criminal, have also resulted in major Swiss banks going bankrupt, others pleading guilty to crimes and paying billions in penalties. All told, as of today over $13.769 billion has been collected from the Swiss banking cheats, and billions more will be recovered as the prosecutions continue.

Here is the story.
Continue Reading 13.769 Billion Reasons to Thank Whistleblowers on Tax Day

This past Saturday, February 20, 2016, Le Parisien/Aujourd’hui en France revealed the contents of an internal UBS memo that discussed “navigating below the radar screen” to grow its business by enticing French clients to hide their money in Swiss bank accounts. The memo indicates that “UBS was perfectly aware of the risk” of its illegal practices.
Continue Reading Sounding the Alarm: U.S. Whistleblower’s Involvement in French UBS Investigation

Swiss bank whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld was featured yesterday in an article detailing the extremely hostile environment that exists in Switzerland toward whistleblowers. In the article Birkenfeld states that change is “long overdue” for the country which has prosecuted several whistleblowers in recent years.
Continue Reading Swiss Bank Whistleblower Calls for Switzerland to Protect Whistleblowers