September 25, 2012
Overwhelming Majority of Americans Oppose Corporate Corruption, So Why Aren’t Political Parties Listening?
International Business Times
A year ago, protestors gathered in New York City’s Financial District kicking off Occupy Wall Street, a grassroots movement protesting economic inequality, greed and corruption. With a rallying cry of “We are the 99 percent,” the protests quickly grew in size and spread to cities across the country. Ultimately, Occupy Wall Street has failed to...
Articles & Perspectives
September 24, 2012
Federal Whistleblower Programs at Work: IRS to Pay Whistleblower $104 Million
Labaton Sucharow
On the heels of the SEC’s announcement of its first whistleblower award, the IRS announced last week that it would pay one of its first awards—a startling $104 million—to a former UBS banker, Bradley Birkenfeld, who aided the government in connection with its investigation into the bank’s practice of helping wealthy U.S. taxpayers hide billions...
Articles & Perspectives
September 12, 2012
Rebel With a Cause?
The ABA Journal, a publication of the American Bar Association, has just announced its Legal Rebels for 2012. I was honored to be counted in the list of 11 Legal Rebels who come from a wide range of practices and firms across the nation. Now in its fourth year, this is the journal’s “annual nod...
Articles & Perspectives
September 12, 2012
SEC Whistleblower Program Stricter Than IRS Bounty Which Paid $104 Million To Felon, Former Official Says
Reuters
Thomas noted differences between the programs for rewarding individuals, even if they participated in the wrongdoing, who provide information that leads to the recovery of unpaid taxes and penalties, in the case of IRS tips, or fines and the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains, in the case of SEC whistleblowers. The SEC program allows for bounties...
In The News
September 11, 2012
Jailed UBS Tax Whistleblower Gets $104M IRS Award
Law360
Even though Birkenfeld is still serving a prison sentence, the historic award will push potential whistleblowers to provide information to law enforcement officials, said Jordan Thomas, head of the whistleblower practice at [prior firm]. Most people with valuable information are not going to have the same level of criminal liability that Birkenfeld did, he added....
In The News
September 1, 2012
A Sad State Of Bank Industry Ethics
American Banker
“Overall, the results were troubling…It appears the financial services industry has lost it way” says Thomas. “I think there is a debilitating trust problem in corporate America, where people just don’t trust the people who can and should be fixing some of the problems that exist,” Thomas says. The number of financial professionals who feel...
In The News
August 24, 2012
Anonymity For Whistleblowers May Undermine Programme
Risk.net
Jordan Thomas, partner and chair of the whistleblower representation practice at [prior firm] in New York, says he expects the SEC will release more information about the type of tips its is receiving in its annual report. “In that context, they can talk about multiple different submissions without identifying a specific whistleblower, so there’s less...
In The News
August 23, 2012
A Powerful Partnership in Full Swing: SEC Issues First Award to Whistleblower
Labaton Sucharow
Yesterday, just one year after the final rules of the SEC Whistleblower Program became effective, the agency has issued its first whistleblower award. This is a pivotal moment for prospective whistleblowers, investors and the public at large. There are several remarkable points to note about this first award. First, the timing of this award underscores...
Articles & Perspectives
August 22, 2012
SEC Whistle-Blower Program Starts Paying Off For Agency, Tipsters
Los Angeles Times
“The full tidal wave of cases is more likely to be in year four, five — that’s when you’ll see the full effect,” said Jordan Thomas, a whistle-blowers’ attorney at law firm [prior firm] in New York. Thomas, who helped set up the program before leaving the SEC, said it could “revolutionize” securities enforcement. Wall...
In The News
August 21, 2012
When Can an Officer Blow the Whistle?
Risk Management Magazine
Articles & Perspectives
