You, Too Can Be a Whistleblower – Yonkers Times

Eric Schoen

This too is Yonkers, by Eric W. Schoen

Whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a personwho exposes any kind of information or activity that is deemed illegal,unethical, or not correct within an organization that is either private orpublic. Because of this, a number of laws exist to protect whistleblowers.Definition courtesy of WikiPedia.

We keep hearing that word and think that itis someone who has supernatural powers and information no one else knows. Weget the impression that the person is exposing information at such a high levelthat he or she needs Secret Service protection 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,365 days a year.

Well friends, I am hear to tell you that youtoo could become a whistleblower. It can be done completely anonymously fromthe comfort of your home. All you need is a computer, a phone, or a piece ofpaper and a stamp. Before we get into the details let me tell you about mywhistleblower experiences.

It happened over 30 years ago which proveswhistleblowing in not a new phenomena. All the participants in the scheme arelong gone from Yonkers. I knew of an agency that was getting funding for jobtraining and using the money to pay salaries and not doing any type of crediblejob training.

They got the money through a quid pro quo (afavor or advantage granted or expected in return for something). The agency andits supporters backed a political candidate and in return that candidate whowas chairperson of the organization with the money gave the agency what youwould call a no show contract. I was in a position to audit the agencyreceiving funds. You cant audit an agency that does no work. In this case theminimal work the agency was doing was limited to a specific group of people andnot open to the general public as it was supposed to be.

I started by calling the State InspectorGeneral of the agency where the money was coming from. It was federal money being channeled through thestate. I started at the state level but my whistleblower complaint quickly gotelevated to the federal level. I wanted to remain anonymous and they agreed toit. They knew I had the goods.

We chatted on the phone several times andagreed to meet in the parking lot of the old Parkside Diner on South Broadway.The agent, investigator whatever he was called told me the color and type ofhis car and I gave him my car details and where to meet me in the lot. I gavehim the information I had, documents that proved my claim, and we chatted in mycar for about an hour.

Fortunately my car did not blow up. Inretrospect the investigator should have at least brought me coffee andbreakfast.

Two other quick whistleblower stories. Iworked in a building where people were constantly getting sick from therecirculated air. I filed an anonymous complaint with the Federal EnvironmentalProtection Agency and they came out to test the air.

Another time I anonymously called the YonkersFire Department as the office I worked in had moved filing cabinets aroundmaking it unsafe to reach the exits in case of an emergency. Our wonderful YonkersFire Department came out (mind you within minutes after I made the call) andsaw that the filing cabinets were in an unsafe position blocking exits andpaths to the exits. They made the office move the filing cabinets so that theywere not a fire hazard.

Yes friends, if I can be a whistleblower youcan too. Most times you can remain anonymous. Visit whistleblowers.org for excellent information. That website will help you Know YourRights.

Whistleblowing takes preparation. Deciding which law youshould report under is in many ways the single most important decisionaffecting the outcome of a case. Give as much information as possible (i.e.,names of alleged offenders, victims, witnesses, etc., and leads on anyapplicable data, documentation or other evidence).

Lets start at the top. Want to file a complaint about somethingthe President did? Or one of his Advisors or Members of his Cabinet? It alldepend on the specific fraud committed. oversight.gov lets you report waste,Disclose wrongdoing about a federal government agency, program, contract orgrant. Most federal agencies have Inspector Generals that accept whistleblowercomplaints.

Senators or Congressman? The House and Senate Committee on Ethics(ethics.senate.govor

ethics.house.gov)can Investigate alleged violations of the Code of Official Conduct or of anyapplicable rules, laws, or regulations governing the performance of officialduties or the discharge of official responsibilities and Committeerules . Then if need be Report to appropriatefederal or state authorities substantial evidence of a violation of any lawapplicable to the performance of official duties that may have been disclosedin a Committee investigation.

State officials? Office of the New York State Comptroller has a confidential, toll free hotline.Call 1-888-672-4555 weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. to make youranonymous complaint. ag.ny.gov puts you in touch with the Attorney Generalsoffice.The Attorney General serves all New Yorkers in numerousmatters affecting their daily lives. Specifically, the statutory and common lawpowers to protect consumers and investors, charitable donors, the public healthand environment, civil rights, and the rights of wage-earners and businessesacross the State.

Authority also includesthe activities and investigations of the State Organized Crime Task Force andMedicaid Fraud Control Unit.

In Westchester County, theBoard of Ethics handles ethics complaints. According to the County Website,there is no phone number but they list an attorney as contact, Asst. CountyAttorney David Polizzi dppd@westchestergov.com .

Yonkers has an Office ofthe Inspector General, Brendan McGrath. Email Brendan.McGrath@yonkersny.gov , Call 914-377-6107 or Fax:914-377-6990. They also have a link on theirpage on the Yonkers website where you can make an anonymous complaint.

When in doubt you can also visit FBI.gov/tips or contact the NewYork FBI office

26 Federal Plaza, 23rd Floor New York, NY10278-0004 newyork.fbi.gov

(212) 384-1000 Regional corruption hotline.

Tips about criminal activity taking place in Yonkers? Text tip411and when prompted enter YPD. The Yonkers Police Internal Affairs Division has a24 hour a day hotline, 914-377-7331. For the Fire Department contact (914)377-7526 Monday through Friday. Obviously for a Police or Fire or MedicalEmergency DIAL 911.

Another important web address. For Internet complaints visit ic3.gov . Thats the Federal Internet CrimeBureau.

So there you have it. You, Too Can Be the next Edward Snowden.

Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him onTwitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the WestchesterRising Radio Show Thursdays from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.comand click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app fromthe App Store free of charge

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You, Too Can Be a Whistleblower - Yonkers Times