Emily Fertitta, a former FBI Special Agent, joins this week’s episode of Whistleblower of the Week to discuss the sweeping retaliation she and her husband—decorated Marine Corps officer and FBI agent Valentine “Val” Fertitta—have faced after reporting alleged violations inside the Bureau.
Emily says that in 2021, Val was denied the chance to apply for a leadership promotion—allegedly due to absences related to combat-related medical treatment. A pregnant agent was similarly excluded. She says both actions violated federal law, including the Equal Employment Opportunity Act and the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA).
What followed was a cascade of escalating retaliation. According to Emily, Val was labeled an “insider threat,” triggering a national security investigation that placed his security clearance in jeopardy. He received his first adverse performance reviews and was reassigned far from his family. Eventually, he filed a formal discrimination lawsuit against the FBI.
Emily, still serving as an agent at the time, says she was pulled into the fallout. She was ordered to FBI headquarters for a 16-hour interrogation related to the investigation into her husband—denied legal counsel, forbidden from discussing the interview, and given no clear legal justification for the coercive tactics used against her.
In her interview with host Jane Turner, Emily outlines how internal whistleblower protections failed them, and how national security labels are being misused to silence and isolate dissent within the FBI.
Listen now to hear why Emily believes the Fertitta’s experience reflects a deeper cultural problem inside federal law enforcement—and what’s at stake if it’s not addressed.
