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Whistleblower News From The Inside -- January 6, 2017

Posted  January 6, 2017

By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team

California lawmakers prepare for Trump by hiring Eric Holder — Democratic leaders of the California Legislature signaled their intention to fight any challenges to state policies by the incoming administration of Donald Trump by hiring as outside legal counsel former Attorney General Eric Holder.   California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon and Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon said, “with the upcoming change in administrations, we expect that there will be extraordinary challenges for California in the uncertain times ahead.”  NPR

SEC awards $5.5M to whistleblower – The SEC announced an award of more than $5.5 million to a whistleblower who provided critical information that helped the SEC uncover an ongoing scheme.  Jane Norberg, Chief of the SEC’s Office of the Whistleblower, said “whistleblowers play a key role in bringing wrongdoing to the SEC’s attention, and this whistleblower helped prevent further harm to a vulnerable investor community by boldly stepping forward while still employed at the company.”  SEC

U.S. arrests Brazilian in fraud probe, seizes $20 million under mattress — About $20 million found under a mattress in a Massachusetts apartment had been seized after a Brazilian man was arrested for laundering money linked to a multi-billion-dollar global fraud.  Federal prosecutors charged Cleber Rene Rizerio Rocha, 28, with conspiring to commit money laundering in a case connected to the investigation of TelexFree Inc, which promoted itself as an internet telecom company but prosecutors say was actually a pyramid scheme.  Reuters

Benjamin Netanyahu is questioned a second time on corruption suspicions — Investigators grilled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his official residence as a suspect in an investigation into possible corruption, the details of which have largely been kept under wraps. The police said in a brief statement that the session had lasted five hours and that Mr. Netanyahu had been questioned under caution on suspicion of receiving improper gifts and favors.  NYT

Whistleblower headed to court over air quality report — Leslie Weise, who blew the whistle on pollution from a coal-fired power plant in Colorado Springs, is headed to court to defend against a lawsuit from Colorado Springs Utilities.  Ms. Weise shared an air-quality report with the news media after a district court accidentally sent her a copy.  The court asked Weise to return the report, which she did, but the court didn’t prohibit Weise from revealing its findings.  Colorado Springs Utilities, which operates the power plant, is seeking attorneys’ fees and sanctions.  PNS

The accidental whistleblower: How a retired London journalist came across the biggest story of her life —  Clare Rewcastle Brown uncovered a staggering network of corruption in Malaysia that appeared to reach the top of the country’s political power structure and is regarded as the biggest corruption scandal in recent memory to involve a head of government, in terms of both the sum of money involved and the magnitude of the sensational news story it has become.  TIME