In Their Own Words . . . .

In Their Own Words ... David Lochridge, Former OceanGate Operations Director

“The whole idea behind [OceanGate] was to make money, that’s it…there was very little in the way of science” . . . “I didn't want to lose my job. I wanted to do the Titanic. But to dive it safely. It was on my bucket list, too....” —David Lochridge, former OceanGate operations director and whistleblower testifying before U.S. Marine Board of Investigation.  Watch here.

In Their Own Words. . . .California Attorney General Rob Bonta

“At the California Department of Justice, we believe that the healthcare system should serve patients.  Yet, too often, private equity has served corporate profiteers by maximizing their profits at the expense of access, quality, and affordability of healthcare for Californians.”  California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s statement concerning recent legislation (AB 3129) introduced in California addressing...

In Their Own Words. . . .Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)

"The False Claims Act is our nation’s primary weapon against fraud, and it has been amended by Congress and reaffirmed by the courts throughout our history.  The qui tam provision has been particularly essential in our fight against fraudsters by leveraging whistleblowers’ knowledge of schemes that the government likely wouldn’t uncover on its own.  These brave and patriotic whistleblowers play a critical...

In Their Own Words. . . .Sam Lebovic

"[I]t is easier . . . to debate the character of the [whistleblower] than to try to make sense of the substantive political issues they reveal, which are by definition complex and controversial.  But when the inevitable next leaker comes along, we should not take this easy road. . . .  Rather than debating the personality of the discloser, we should debate the political significance of what was disclosed." Sam...

In Their Own Words. . . .Marie Terracol

"Whistleblowers regularly save lives, prevent environmental damages and help recover millions of [] much-needed public funds that would have been lost to corruption.  It is essential that policymakers safeguard and empower whistleblowers to come forward and speak up in the public interest." Marie Terracol, Whistleblower Protection Lead at Transparency International, in connection with the organization's...

In Their Own Words. . . .CFTC Commissioner Christy Goldsmith Romero

"Whistleblowers play a vital role in supporting CFTC investigations related to fraud and other illegality.  The CFTC could not fully protect customers and markets without whistleblowers.  . . .  The faster we can stop fraud, the more we can protect customers from harm." From Commissioner Goldsmith Romero's Statement on the Commodity Futures Trading Commission's Annual Report on its Whistleblower Program, which...

In Their Own Words. . . .Government Accountability Project Tom Devine and Joe Spielberger

"[Whistleblower] retaliation doesn’t just punish honest people, it scares others into silence, allowing corruption to continue threatening the health, safety, and welfare of Florida’s residents and honest contractors." From their OpEd in today's Miami Herald calling on Florida Senator Rick Scott to support the Expanding Whistleblower Protections for Contractors Act, bipartisan legislation that "would update and...

In Their Own Words. . . .Rice University Political Science Professor Mark Jones

"[T]he reality is that if you’re a whistleblower, at a very high level you saw a group of well-respected, conscientious whistleblowers go to the FBI only after they were unable to convince their boss that he was engaging in transgressions and the response of all this is that their names get dragged through the mud, they get fired.  The lesson they’re going to draw from it is, 'Why bother?'" From the Texas...

In Their Own Words. . . .Booz Allen Whistleblower Sarah Feinberg

"I’ve got three kids, and I tell them, 'Doing the right thing is the right thing, no matter what the outcome is." From the NBC News article on Sarah Feinberg's False Claims Act lawsuit against Booz Allen Hamilton for allegedly overcharging the government on private consulting contracts, including with foreign governments such as Saudi Arabia.  Booz Allen ultimately settled the action (on July 21) for $377...

In Their Own Words. . . .Deputy Attorney General Monaco

"Combating all types of fraud is a top Justice Department priority.  That is especially true when the fraud involves exploitation of the suffering of others." Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco in announcing the results of DOJ's latest nationwide COVID-19 fraud enforcement sweep, which over the last three months included 700 enforcement actions involving over $830 million in fraud.