On April 18, Siri Nelson, the Executive Director of National Whistleblower Center (NWC), wrote a letter to Senators Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) expressing concerns regarding unneeded delays in whistleblower award payments under the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Whistleblower Program. In particular, NWC raises issues with the IRS’s rule on partial awards/multiple actions, explaining that it “has been a source of enormous frustration for tax whistleblowers – resulting in many whistleblowers who have provided valuable information to the IRS having to unnecessarily wait years and y ..read more

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is in the midst of a “90-day sprint” to develop a whistleblower award program. A DOJ Whistleblower Program based on proven best practices has the potential to revolutionize the agency’s enforcement of corporate crime and corruption. Time and time again, whistleblower programs which fairly and consistently award and protect qualified whistleblowers have proven to be unmatched in their ability to incentivize insiders to come forward and disclose fraud and misconduct. It is imperative, however, that the DOJ correctly identifies what the best practices of whist ..read more

On April 23, Siri Nelson, Executive Director of National Whistleblower Center (NWC) was joined by Forbes Top 200 Attorney and whistleblower law expert Stephen M. Kohn of Kohn, Kohn, & Colapinto (KKC) for a webinar discussing the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) forthcoming whistleblower award program.  The webinar was held in response to Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco’s recent keynote address, where she announced a “90-day sprint to develop and implement” a DOJ-run whistleblower rewards program as a new strategy against corporate misconduct. According to Monaco, “The premise is ..read more

On April 4, Senator Charles Grassley (R-IA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on the Budget, wrote a letter to Gary Gensler, the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), expressing concerns about delays and lack of transparency in the agency’s whistleblower compensation.  Since it was established in 2010, the SEC Whistleblower Program has achieved tremendous success. Whistleblower tips have increased year by year, with the SEC receiving more than 18,00 whistleblower tips in Fiscal Year (FY) 2023, compared to over 12,300 in FY 2022 and over 12,200 in FY 2021.  Howe ..read more

In developing its new whistleblower award program, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) should look to the best practices of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Whistleblower Program, says Allison Herren Lee, former SEC Commissioner and currently Of Counsel at the whistleblower firm Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. Lee commends the DOJ’s decision to develop a whistleblower award program and outlines the key elements of the SEC program in a new article “A Proven Success: The SEC Whistleblower Regime Provides a Roadmap for DOJ’s New Program” published by the Harvard Law School Forum on ..read more

A collection of whistleblower advocacy organizations are warning Congress that a bill aimed at bolstering the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) through monies collected via False Claims Act (FCA) settlements may disadvantage whistleblowers. On April 18, Representative Wagner (R-MO) introduced the Crime Victims Fund Stabilization Act in collaboration with Reps. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), and Jim Costa (D-CA). The Act would redirect funds collected through the False Claims Act (FCA) into the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to address a $600 million cut in funding. The ..read more

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has contacted a number of major banks requesting non-disclosure agreements used in their swaps and clearing businesses to see whether they restrict whistleblowing, according to reporting by Bloomberg. A CFTC Whistleblower Program rule prohibits entities from taking any action to prohibit individuals from contacting the CFTC about potential commodities law violations. This rule covers language in NDAs or other contacts which discourage employees or clients from reporting misconduct. According to Bloomberg, the CFTC “has reached out to a numbe ..read more

Each year, the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) sends letters to federal agencies urging them to recognize National Whistleblower Day through educational programming. On April 10, NWC sent out the letters calling for the celebration of National Whistleblower Day 2024 on July 30. For the past ten years, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed an annual resolution designating July 30 as National Whistleblower Day. The resolution encourages federal agencies to celebrate by informing employees of their whistleblower rights and “acknowledging the contributions of whistleblowers to combating waste, fr ..read more

Earth Day stands as a testament to the relentless efforts of environmental activists, including whistleblowers, whose courage has been instrumental in exposing environmental crime. Current U.S. whistleblower laws are powerful tools for empowering these whistleblowers. These individuals are the unsung heroes in our fight to protect the planet. However, for their potential to be fully realized, these laws need to be enforced more effectively, encouraging more people to come forward. The Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS) is a crucial law used to expose environmental crimes. It was enacte ..read more

The Department of Justice (DOJ) is currently engaged in a “90-day policy sprint” to develop a whistleblower rewards program. Whistleblower advocates have been urging the DOJ to implement best practices found in highly successful whistleblower programs and are now calling on the public to join in the action. National Whistleblower Center (NWC) has issued an Action Alert allowing individuals to write to the DOJ to demand that the DOJ Whistleblower Program is implemented in a way that works for whistleblowers. NWC is calling for the DOJ to offer mandatory awards of 10-30% of the proceeds collecte ..read more