Author Archives: Steve Kardell
Five of the All-Time Biggest Whistleblowers
Seek not greatness, but seek truth and you will find both. -Horace Mann From preventing human beings from being used like laboratory animals to revealing multi-million dollar price fixing, whistleblowers often sacrifice their careers and even their lives to reveal the truth. Here are five prominent whistleblowers: Daniel Ellsberg Daniel Ellsberg was a Harvard graduate, […]
The Texas Whistleblower’s Whistle Did not Blow Against TAMUK
Gertrud Moreno was an assistant vice-president and comptroller of Texas A&M University-Kingsville (TAMUK). She claimed that her supervisor, Thomas Saban, terminated her after she reported to TAMUK’s president that Saban’s daughter received in-state tuition in violation of state law. After being fired, Moreno sued TAMUK alleging violation of the Texas Whistleblower Act. Elements of the […]
A Texas Whistleblower Could Have Saved Lives
On April 17, 2013, the West Fertilizer plant, owned by Adair Grain, Inc., exploded, killing at least 14 and injuring hundreds more. Although months have passed since the explosion, many questions remain. The plant contained approximately 54,000 pounds of anhydrous ammonia, a chemical substance used to make ammonium nitrate, the same explosive material used by […]
Nurse Anne Mitchell’s Whistleblowing Almost Blew Out Whistleblowing in Texas
The Winkler County nurses trials began with two nurses, Anne Mitchell and Vicki Galle, filing an anonymous complaint with the Texas Medical Board regarding the substandard care provided by Dr. Rolando Arafiles Jr. When Arafiles learned of the complaint, he complained of harassment to a friend and former patient, who happened to be the county […]
SEC’s Whistleblower Program Trudges Forward
Not everyone can see the truth, but he can be it. -Franz Kafka Section 922 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Dodd-Frank Act) amended the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 by adding the Securities Whistleblower Incentives and Protection. The new section requires that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) provide […]
Medicaid Fraud and the Whistleblower
Texas’ campaign against Medicaid fraud reached two landmark milestones. Since 2002, the Civil Medicaid Fraud Division (CMF) recovered more than $400 million for the state of Texas and more than $1 billion for the state and federal governments combined. Texas must share with the federal government what it recovers from Medicaid fraud because Medicaid is […]
A Texas Whistleblower Must Blow his Whistle to a Proper Law Enforcement Authority
In addition to being a professor of surgery at The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (UTSW), Dr. Larry Gentilello was the Chair of the Division of Burn, Trauma and Critical Care. Gentilello reported to a supervisory faculty member that trauma residents were providing treatment and performing surgeries without the supervision of an attending physician […]
Will the Whistleblowing Last in Benghazi?
On September 11, 2012, a heavily armed group blitzed the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya. An additional armed assault targeted a nearby CIA annex, killing four people, including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens. U.S. government employees are blowing the whistle on how the government responded the night of the attack and in the weeks […]
Demystifying the Texas Whistleblower Act
I love those who can smile in trouble, who can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but they whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves their conduct, will pursue their principles unto death. — Leonard Da Vinci When first reporting the illegal or […]
Are You the Fox in the Henhouse? Whistleblower Protection in In-House Investigations
Daniel Ellsberg, Frank Serpico, Karen Silkwood, Jeffrey Wigand, Sharon Watkins and Floyd Landis — only a few names on the long list of people who blew the whistle on fraudulent business practices. In the past, whistleblowers often faced aggressive retaliation for their actions. Today, a raft of recent laws and legal decisions protects their rights. […]
