In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner speaks with leading tax whistleblower expert and advocate Dean Zerbe, partner at Zerbe, Miller, Fingeret, Frank and Jadav, LLP and Senior Policy Analyst at the National Whistleblower Center.

Prior to entering private practice, Zerbe was active in Congressional investigations of government waste, fraud, and abuse for over 25 years. As Senior Counsel and Tax Counsel on the Senate Finance Committee for Senator Charles E. Grassley, Zerbe was the driving force behind the drafting and passage of legislation that created the Whistleblower Office at the IRS as well as changes in the tax code that greatly expanded the rewards for tax whistleblowers.

In this episode, Turner and Zerbe dive into the current state of tax whistleblowing under the IRS Whistleblower Program, discussing its successes as well as its flaws. Zerbe explains how recent efforts have made the program more efficient but outlines the urgent need for specific reforms.

Turner and Zerbe also discuss Zerbe’s own unique career path as a tax whistleblower advocate and the inspiration behind the 2006 IRS whistleblower law he helped write.

Zerbe and the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) are calling for the passage of reforms found in the IRS Whistleblower Improvement Act of 2023. NWC has set up an Action Alert allowing individuals to write to their members of Congress urging them to pass the reforms to strengthen the IRS Whistleblower Program.

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In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner
speaks with anti-corruption advocate and attorney Estefania Medina, co-founder
of TOJIL and Vice President of the Anti-Corruption Commission at the
International Chamber of Commerce-México.
TOJIL is a non-profit organization dedicated to combating corruption in Mexico
through deep investigations, strategic litigation, and the development of public
policy.
Jane and Estefania discuss Estefania’s background and her inspirations for
becoming a lawyer and advocate dedicated to creating change. They delve into
the problems of corruption plaguing Mexico and how TOJIL is working with
whistleblowers and authorities to fight back.
In particular, Estefania details the landmark case in which, thanks to
whistleblowers, U.S. authorities sanctioned Vitol, an oil and gas trading firm, for
corruption-based fraud and attempted manipulation in Mexico and other
countries.

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In this episode of Whistleblower of the Week, host Jane Turner speaks with Stephen M. Kohn, co-Founder and Board Chairman of National Whistleblower Center and leading whistleblower attorney.

On February 10th, President Trump halted enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”) in an Executive Order, arguing the move would aid American business abroad. Listen to Kohn and Turner discuss how this decision will impact American business and whistleblowers reporting bribery, corruption, and collusion.

On March 13th, Kohn published an article, “Crippling the FCPA is Bad Business for the U.S” in the NYU Compliance and Enforcement Blog. He highlights his recent research which illustrates how FCPA enforcement primarily targets foreign companies, with monetary sanctions against foreign companies far outpacing sanctions against U.S-based companies.

National Whistleblower Center has launched a campaign to call for the resuming of FCPA enforcements. Take action today by contacting your Representatives and Senators.

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Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner
speaks with Poornima Ramarao, the mother of OpenAI whistleblower Suchir
Balaji, who tragically passed away in November.
Balaji blew the whistle to the New York Times on alleged copyright violations by
OpenAI. He was found dead in his apartment months later.
In this episode, Turner and Ramarao discuss Balaji’s upbringing and courageous
whistleblowing, the questions Ramarao has surrounding his death and the
related police investigation, and why Ramarao hopes her son’s passing will help
lead to better protections for AI whistleblowers.
Ramarao has set up a GoFundMe: Justice for Suchir Balaji.
National Whistleblower Center has set up an Action Alert allowing supporters to
write to Congress demanding protections for artificial intelligence
whistleblowers.

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner
speaks with Ed Pierson, Boeing whistleblower and the Executive Director of The
Foundation for Aviation Safety.
Pierson served as a Senior Manager at Boeing’s Renton, Washington 737 Max
factory, overseeing the manufacturing of Boeing’s 737 Max airline and leading
the Industrial Engineering and Shipside teams in final assembly and P-8
Poseidon Shipside teams. He blew the whistle on safety issues he witnessed in
the manufacturing of 737 Max’s.
At National Whistleblower Day 2024, Pierson revealed that he had uncovered new
documents underscoring Boeing’s alleged shortcomings in the manufacturing of
737 Max planes.
During their wide-ranging conversation, Jane and Pierson discuss his upbringing,
why he felt compelled to come forward with his concerns, the response of
Boeing and the FAA to his whistleblowing, and why he does not feel comfortable
flying on Boeing 737 Maxes.
National Whistleblower Center is urging Congress and the White House to act
immediately and address the issues which are endangering airline safety
whistleblowers and having a chilling effect on other would-be-whistleblowers.

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner
speaks with former FBI special agent Zach Schoffstall. Schoffstall was a supervisory senior resident agent in the FBI’s Salt Lake City Division. He alleges that he was retaliated against by the FBI after refusing to sign a warrant for a white nationalist organization, the Patriot Front, when he believed there was not actionable evidence.

During their wide-ranging conversation, Jane and Schoffstall discuss his
upbringing, his career at the FBI and the similarities in their experiences facing retaliation from the Bureau.

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In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, host Jane Turner
speaks with former FBI official Marcus Allen.

Allen was suspended by the FBI for 27 months after making a protected
disclosure and in 2023 the Bureau revoked his security clearance before he
testified before Congress. In 2024, the FBI reinstated Allen’s security clearance
and reached a settlement agreement with him for backpay for his suspension.

During their wide-ranging conversation, Jane and Allen discuss his upbringing,
his suspension from the FBI and what changes the Bureau needs to make to
better support whistleblowers. They are joined in conversation by Tristan Leavitt,
President of Empower Oversight.

Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!