10 Famous Whistleblowers Who Changed History

by Shweta Anand2 years ago

6 Douglas Plumley

In 1985, an inmate named Douglas Plumley reported that hazardous chemicals were being used at the federal prison in Lompoc, California. He was even let go from his job at the prison office, but after a legal battle, was reinstated and compensated. This case then went on to set a legal precedent that federal inmates could be considered federal employees, giving them whistleblower protections. 

Lompoc
USP Lompoc. Image credit: bop.gov

In 1985, a convicted robber named Douglas Plumley reported that the chemical fumes in the furniture shop at the Lompoc, California federal prison were injurious to health.

He even stated that this was in violation of the Clean Air Act, but his contention was rejected by the prison officials. Plumley then forwarded his concerns to the Government Accountability Project in Washington, an organization of lawyers who defend whistleblowers. 

A year later, however, the prison retaliated by firing Plumley from his accounting job at the prison office and denied him credits towards his parole. He then approached the Labor Department with the claim that he was being punished as a whistleblower.

Eventually, his case resulted in a landmark ruling that proclaimed federal prisoners as federal employees, giving them protection under whistleblower laws. Plumley was finally reinstated in his job and awarded back pay of $2,045 and $30,000 in legal fees. (1, 2)

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7 John Kopchinski 

John Kopchinski was a Pfizer employee who gained notoriety for blowing the whistle on the company for aggressively marketing the prescription painkiller, Bextra. This initiated one of the largest cases of healthcare fraud in the US and caused Pfizer to fire Kopchinski. In 2005, however, Pfizer took the drug off the market amid safety concerns. 

John Kopchinski, a former Pfizer employee, is known for setting off a major case of healthcare fraud in the US. While working as a sales representative at the company, he came across evidence of aggressive marketing on the company’s end.

These pieces of evidence suggested that Pfizer was aggressively pushing their prescription painkiller, Bextra, on doctors and even incentivizing representatives who could get doctors to add the drug to the before-and-after care for surgery patients.

Concerned, Kopchinski started off by making a complaint to Pfizer management that Bextra’s marketing had exceeded FDA limits. But his concerns were brushed aside, and he was later fired from his job.

This then prompted him to pursue legal action in 2003. Eventually, in 2005, Pfizer took the drug off the market due to rising reports of heart attacks and was asked to pay $2.3 billion to resolve all civil and criminal lawsuits. (1, 2)

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8 Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle 

In 2009, two Texan nurses named Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle hit the headlines when they reported a physician for unethical medical practices. The physician later sued them for maliciously ruining his reputation, a move that many believed would eliminate medical whistleblowers. As a result, many nursing organizations helped raise money for their defense, and in 2010, they were found not guilty. 

Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle
Nurses Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle. Image credit: Michael Stravato via texasobserver.org

In April 2009, two nurses in Texas, Anne Mitchell and Vickilyn Galle, reported a physician to the state’s medical board for using unsafe medical practices.

The complaint stated that the physician, Dr. Rolando Arafiles Jr., had used surgical methods that were unauthorized, such as suturing a rubber tip to a crushed finger for protection. He was also accused of pushing alternative medicine to his patients. 

Shortly afterward, Dr. Arafiles Jr. filed a complaint against both nurses, citing that they were maliciously trying to ruin his reputation. The case quickly drew the attention of national nursing organizations who feared that this could set back medical whistleblower rights.

They then raised $40,000 to aid in Mitchell’s and Galle’s legal defense. In 2010, both Mitchell and Galle were found not guilty by a Texas jury who stated that they should not have been arrested in the first place. (1, 2)

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9 Bradley Birkenfeld 

Bradley Birkenfeld was the first banker ever to expose illegal offshore accounts held by US citizens. However, during the investigation, Birkenfeld was sentenced to 40 months in prison for withholding information on his top client. Later, upon his release, the IRS conceded that Birkenfeld had provided valuable information and awarded him $104 million for revealing the secrets of the Swiss banking system. 

Bradley Birkenfeld
Bradley Birkenfeld. Image credit: whistleblowersblog.org

Bradley Birkenfeld is an ex-banker who became the first to expose illegal offshore accounts held by US citizens. At the time, Switzerland was seen as a financial haven that helped Americans forgo their tax obligations. However, with Birkenfeld’s help, this perception slowly began to be broken down. 

Since Birkenfeld had been a wealth manager at UBS, he had inside knowledge on how banks helped clients evade their taxes. He used this knowledge to help the IRS recover billions in unpaid taxes. But despite cooperating with the authorities, he was sentenced to 40 months in prison for helping a client evade income taxes in the US.

Nevertheless, the IRS agreed to pay him a sum of $104 million as a reward for being a whistleblower and providing valuable information about the Swiss banking system. The IRS also issued warnings to many banks, reminding them of the consequences of helping clients with tax evasion. (1, 2)

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10 Roger Boisjoly 

In 1986, Roger Boisjoly and four other colleagues became embroiled in the fatal launch of Challenger, when they reported the shuttle was unsafe. Six months before the launch, Boisjoly had predicted that the elastic seals in the booster rockets would stiffen in cold temperatures. However, NASA officials disregarded these reports and launched the shuttle, ultimately claiming the lives of its astronauts. 

Roger Boisjoly
Roger Boisjoly (Image to the left), Image is used for representational purposes only. Image credits: dailymail.co.uk via Wikipedia.org, Shutterstock

Roger Boisjoly was an engineer at Morton Thiokol, a NASA contractor and in 1986, he and four colleagues became embroiled in the failed launch of the Challenger.

Six months before the incident, Boisjoly had predicted that there might be a catastrophe if the launch was conducted in cold temperatures. He reported that the elastic seals in the booster rockets would stiffen in cold temperatures and unseal. 

On the day of the launch, the temperature was as cold as 30°F, and NASA had not tested the seals at such low temperatures. Boisjoly and colleagues then again warned against launching the shuttle, but NASA disregarded these reports leading to the explosion of the shuttle.

Sadly, the tragedy is said to have so deeply affected Boisjoly that he spent his remaining years traveling to various colleges in the country and speaking about ethical decision-making. (1, 2)

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