Dr. Frederic Whitehurst

Dr. Frederic Whitehurst is a former Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) scientist who exposed forensic fraud in the FBI’s crime lab, subjecting it to outside oversight for the first time. In 1997, Whitehurst won a landmark victory supported by NWC that culminated in the creation of the historic Presidential Executive Order ensuring whistleblower protections rights for FBI agents exposing misconduct, as well as, a settlement of nearly $1.4 million with attorney’s fees. His exposures of internal misconduct also resulted in extensive reforms to the crime lab.

Dr. Whitehurst established the Forensic Justice Project at NWC and initiated Freedom of Information Act requests that led to a joint NWC & Washington Post investigation of the FBI Crime Lab that forced the review of 20,000 hair analysis cases by the FBI. The investigation has resulted in several exonerations, reversals of convictions, and one stayed execution to date. Whitehurst spoke at NWC’s National Whistleblower Appreciation Day celebration in 2018 to share his story.