SWAT (Successful Whistleblowers Advocating Against Tax Payer Fraud)

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A group of elite whistleblowers met in Washington, D.C. There was no media coverage of these men and women whose exploits have been heralded on 60 Minutes and Dateline, and, not incidentally, helped enrich the U.S. Treasury by more than $16 billion since 1986.

This particular group known as SWAT (Successful Whistleblowers Advocating Against Tax Payer Fraud) met to share and celebrate their stories of exposing fraudulent health-care  and pharmaceutical companies, as well as dishonest manufacturers.

Questions:

1. What is the biggest single cash recovery ever for the U.S. government, who was it against, and who was the whistleblower that aided in the recovery?

2. Based on what you read in the article, do you think the laws need to be changed as they relate to corporate fraud? Explain.

3.   If you were faced with a corporate fraud as a potential whistleblower, what are some of the things pointed out about whistleblowers in this article that you would consider? Explain.

Source:

Kelly, K. (2010). Whistleblowers: Cynical Idealists or Idealistic Cynics? Huffington Post, November 19 (Retrievable online at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kitty-kelley/whistleblowers-cynical-id_b_785968.html)