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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: whistleblower

whistleblower stories: 14 news summaries

MOVIE REVIEW

 The Informant! Is 'Devilish Fun' 

Matt Damon shines as unreliable narrator in serio-comic take on corporate crime

(Newser) - Steven Soderbergh's The Informant! puts a comic spin on its serious story of a '90s corporate whistle-blower, say critics, with highly entertaining but sometimes muddled results.
  • Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer: This "truth-based film about a compulsive liar wavers between corporate thriller and screwball comedy," with an
... More »

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movie review Matt Damon whistleblower Steven Soderbergh

ANALYSIS

 Cash4Gold a Scam? 
 Watchdog Site Says So 

Consumerist named, along with ex-employees, in lawsuit

(Newser) - The consumer-watchdog blog Consumerist finds itself among the targets of legal action by Cash4Gold.com, an outfit that promises consumers a good return on unwanted jewelry. After following up on a whistle-blowing complaint posted by an ex-employee, Consumerist has been accused of “a false and defamatory posting” about Cash4Gold,... More »

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lawsuit scam jewelry Consumerist.com whistleblower Cash4Gold consumer watchdog

investigation
(Newser) - The Obama administration appears to have attempted to water down the whistleblower protection law the president himself championed on the campaign trail. In an e-mail obtained by the Washington Times, a lawyer in the White House counsel's office sent a new draft of the bill to the Senate. That... More »

(Newser) - A former inspector says he warned the Federal Aviation Administration a full year before February’s crash near Buffalo that Colgan Air might have trouble flying the model of plane involved in the disaster, the New York Times writes. Christopher Monteleon reported that Colgan’s pilots flew fatigued, exceeded manufacturer... More »

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FAA plane crash whistleblower Federal Aviation Administration Colgan Air Christopher Monteleon

Northrop Settles Whistleblower Case for $325M

No money will change hands after firm, feds settle separate case

(Newser) - Northrop Grumman has settled a whistleblower case with the government for $325 million, but the defense contractor doesn't need to get out its checkbook: In a separate case, the federal government agreed to pay Northrop the same amount, the Los Angeles Times reports. The two cases offset each other... More »

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Northrop Grumman lawsuit whistleblower defense contractors TRW

SEC Overlooked Stanford Fraud in 2003

Former employee warned agency, others
of 'Ponzi scheme'

(Newser) - A former employee of Sir Allen Stanford warned the SEC in 2003 of an “illegal Ponzi scheme” involving his firms, but regulators brushed off the allegations, the Financial Times reports. The whistleblower also told another regulatory body that one of Stanford’s companies was “engaged in a Ponzi... More »

DOJ Pulls Prosecutors Off Stevens Case

Judge finds lawyers
in contempt for withholding documents

(Newser) - The Justice Department has yanked the team that prosecuted Ted Stevens off any future action in the case, Politico reports, after the judge found four of the lawyers—including chief prosecutor Brenda Morris—in contempt. Morris and company raised the judge’s ire by withholding documents related to FBI agent... More »

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Department of Justice Alaska FBI Ted Stevens prosecutors whistleblower witness corruption trial Mary Beth Kepner

(Newser) - The fraud investigator who tried for a decade to convince the SEC to investigate Bernie Madoff will deride the board's "financial illiteracy" before a Congressional panel today, according to prepared testimony obtained by the Wall Street Journal. Whistleblower Harry Markopolos will also testify that investigating Madoff "posed great... More »

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investigation fraud SEC Ponzi scheme whistleblower Bernard Madoff Harry Markopolos

Agent, Witness in Stevens Case Had a Fling, Defense Says

Ted's team wants new trial over secret-sharing

(Newser) - Lawyers for former Sen. Ted Stevens say the head FBI agent in his corruption case got a little too cozy with a key witness against Stevens, Politico reports. The defense lawyers cite an FBI whistleblower's memo that “strongly suggests that the inappropriate relationship” between the agent and an oilman... More »

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Alaska FBI Ted Stevens Bill Allen senator whistleblower witness corruption trial Mary Beth Kepner

Madoff Whistleblower
Shrinks From Spotlight

Tenacious accountant stands to make book, film money, but just wants to move on

(Newser) - Harry Markopolos, the accountant who began warning the feds years ago about Bernard Madoff’s Ponzi scheme, wasn’t looking for the limelight, the Boston Globe reports. Not only is he testifying before Congress—he’s also been deluged by book and movie offers. His is “a remarkably compelling... More »

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fraud SEC accountants Ponzi scheme whistleblower Bernard Madoff Harry Markopolos forensic accounting

 Wiretap Whistleblower 
 Reflects on Fateful Leak 

Fmr. Justice official wrestles with effects of NYT call

(Newser) - The government lawyer who blew the whistle on the Bush administration’s domestic wiretapping program has wrestled with the consequences of his decision, but he felt obligated to tell the truth, Newsweek reports. “I thought this (secret program) was something the other branches of the government—and the public—... More »

 Military Snooped 
 on Troops' 
 Phone Sex 

Intercept operators listened to calls of troops, journalists, aid workers for fun

(Newser) - The US military routinely listened in on highly personal private phone calls of Americans calling home from the Middle East, two former operators told ABC News. President Bush has insisted that only the calls of terror suspects are monitored, but the whistleblowers say operators monitored the calls of blameless military... More »

Detroit's Mayor Admits He Lied, Will Step Down

Kilpatrick to serve 4 months for perjury; still faces assault charges

(Newser) - Detroit’s embattled mayor plead guilty to perjury charges today, admitting that he lied under oath during a police whistleblower trial, the Detroit Free Press reports. In a deal that requires him to resign, Kwame Kilpatrick will serve 4 months in jail on two felony counts of obstruction of... More »

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Detroit Michigan resignation perjury guilty plea Kwame Kilpatrick whistleblower

Marines Demand Probe
Into Armor Delay

Blast resistant vehicles 'could have cut deaths in half'

(Newser) - The US Marine Corps has asked the Department of Defense to investigate delays obtaining vehicles with blast-resistant armor for combat units in Iraq. An internal USMC memo claims the money needed for the vehicles, which could have cut deaths from roadside bombings by 50%, was diverted to other projects, reports... More »

14 Stories