Whistleblower News From the Inside -- November 13, 2017
By the C|C Whistleblower Lawyer Team
Talks Begin to Rewrite Rules Protecting Students From Fraud – Education Department officials opened formal negotiations on Monday to rewrite federal rules meant to protect students from fraud by colleges and universities. The talks with university representative and student advocates are taking place as the department faces criticism for delaying consideration of tens of thousands of loan forgiveness claims from students who say they were defrauded by for-profit colleges. The 1994 rule, known as borrower defense, allowed loan forgiveness if it was determined that the college had deceived them. But the rule was rarely used until the demise of Corinthian and ITT Tech for-profit chains several years ago, when thousands of students flooded the department with requests to cancel their loans. In 2016, the Obama administration passed revisions to the rule, which clarified the process and added protections for students. DeVos froze those revisions until new rules can be written. U.S. News
Olympus Whistleblower Lands TV Deal as Japan Faces Wave of Fresh Scandals –
The British chief executive who exposed a £1.1bn scandal at the heart of Japanese giant Olympus has landed an international TV deal showcasing his dramatic story. Whistle-blower Michael Woodford was hounded out of Japan and left in fear for his life after unearthing a web of corruption within the company just weeks after being appointed as chief executive in 2011. Now American production company Tenafly has signed a deal to turn his book Exposure into a six-part television series similar to hit show The Night Manager. Josh Sugarman, director of development at New York-based Tenafly, said: “Michael’s story is the first in an anthology we are producing of brave men and women standing up for what is right. The Telegraph
Menendez Jury Deadlocks, Judge Orders Them to Keep Trying to Reach a Verdict – A federal jury in New Jersey informed the judge Monday that it is deadlocked on all 12 counts in Sen. Bob Menendez’s corruption case. Judge William Walls ordered the seven-woman, five-man jury home for the day to “clear their heads” and return Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. ET. It was a dramatic turn of events in a trial now entering its eleventh week. The New Jersey Democrat faces charges of conspiracy, bribery and honest services fraud related to abusing the power of his office. Prosecutors say the senator accepted more than $600,000 in political contributions, a luxurious hotel suite at the Park Hyatt in Paris and free rides on a private jet from a wealthy ophthalmologist, Dr. Salomon Melgen, in exchange for political favors. Last week, a dismissed juror predicted a hung jury. CNN