FCA Legal Actions Could Result in BP Paying Treble Damages To United States Taxpayers

Washington, D.C. July 26, 2010.  Assistant Attorney General Tony West confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice was "considering all avenues of redress against the potentially responsible parties," according to a letter released today by the National Whistleblower Center. The letter specifically mentions the False Claims Act ("FCA").  The letter is in response to a letter from NWC urging the government to use the FCA to hold responsible parties accountable for losses suffered by the taxpayers as a result of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Washington, D.C. May 20, 2009. The National Whistleblowers Center today disclosed a new campaign of censorship and retaliation by the Army Corps of Engineers directed against whistleblower Bunnatine (Bunny) H. Greenhouse.

Within hours of testifying in Congress, Ms. Greenhouse received an email from the Army Corps Chief of Staff demanding pre-clearance of any testimony Greenhouse may wish to present to Congress.  Ironically, Greenhouse's testimony was presented before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform about legislation aimed at protecting whistleblowers from just this kind of action.

February 25, 2009

THOMAS BEAUMONT
Demoinesregister.com

Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley today said he was introducing a bill that would specifically protect from retaliation congressional employees who report violations or laws or regulations.

Congress Learns Lessons From Katrina, Iraq -- But Not All

By Daphne Eviatar 2/3/09
The Washington Independent

While most of the debate over the proposed stimulus bill has focused on whether the federal government ought to embark on a plan expected to cost taxpayers some $885 billion, equally important is how that money gets spent. Much of the construction and other work will have to be done by private companies contracting with federal, state and local governments. But how the government contracts with private companies, and how those contracts are monitored, can make all the difference to the program's success.

By STEVE SIMON and RON LATZ

StarTribune.com,February 1, 2009

Stealing from the taxpayers is always wrong, but it's even worse during tough economic times. Still, some contractors defraud state government by knowingly overcharging or underpaying for products or services. Now that Minnesota faces a huge budget shortfall, we have a special duty to do something about fraud against taxpayers. By passing a common-sense law known as the False Claims Act, Minnesota can attack and prevent costly fraud, recovering millions of lost taxpayer dollars while earning a financial bonus from the federal government.

Washington, D.C. May 10, 2010. Whistleblower Bunnatine "Bunny" Greenhouse will speak on "Ethics and the Whistleblower" in conjunction with artist Marcia Annenberg's lecture and exhibition "News/Not News" at Boricua College in New York City on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 at 6:00 pm EST.

Mrs. Greenhouse will speak about her work as a public servant, and her commitment to preserving integrity, honesty and accountability in government contracting. Mrs. Greenhouse stood alone in opposing the approval of a highly improper multi-billion dollar no-bid contract to Halliburton for the reconstruction of Iraqi Oil. In return for her courage she was retaliated against and removed from her position as the Procurement Executive, the highest-ranking civilian-contracting official at the Army Corps of Engineers. Her case continues today.

  Government is Discouraging Future Tax Whistleblowers

Washington, D.C. October 14, 2009. Tomorrow marks the end of the IRS' amnesty program for special voluntary disclosures by taxpayers with unreported income from hidden offshore accounts.   The entire basis for the IRS amnesty program was due to the efforts of one whistleblower - Brad Birkenfeld - who blew the whistle on UBS and the 19,000 undisclosed accounts held by U.S. taxpayers.  The U.S. Government has stated this in court:

Federal Employees Still Denied Coverage
 

Washington, D.C. February 13, 2009.  In the final stimulus package approved by House-Senate conference, Congress approved a critical whistleblower protection amendment introduced by Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO).  The McCaskill amendment corrected major defects in the original Senate Bill, and provides protections for private contractors and state and local government workers who blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse in stimulus spending.

Washington, D.C. February 9, 2009.  Bunnatine ("Bunny") H. Greenhouse, the highest ranking procurement official to oppose the no-bid, cost plus contracts to Halliburton for the  reconstruction of Iraq, weighed in on the need for Congress to include real whistlebower protections as part of the stimulus-bailout bill (read her letter).

Key Privacy Protections Improperly Challenged

Washington, D.C. January 15, 2009. The National Whistleblowers Center strongly opposes the lawsuit filed today by the American Civil Liberties Union, the Government Accountability Project, and OMB Watch concerning the constitutionality of the sealing provisions of the False Claims Act.
The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.