Mistreated detainees, tax cheats, kickbacks and more whistleblower news of the week

A news round-up

The Atlantic

Whistleblower helps reveal solitary confinement practices for detained immigrants. 

Contraband sugar packets, calling a border guard a “redneck,” menstruating on a prison uniform, kissing another detainee, identifying as gay, requesting an ankle brace—these are just some of the reasons Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have placed detained immigrants in solitary confinement.

ICE and Department of Homeland Security documents obtained by The Atlantic provide one of the clearest snapshots to date of what immigrant-rights advocates say is the agency’s excessive, arbitrary, and punitive use of this form of isolation

Anonymous IRS Whistleblower wins $11.5 million.

The whistleblower provided information that led to the government collecting over $44.4 million in taxes, penalties, and interest in the case, according to a statement from Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. Partner Stephen M. Kohn is the chair of the National Whistleblower Center.

The New Yorker: Whistleblower drops the other shoe in Epstein / MIT Media Lab scandal

Dozens of pages of e-mails and other documents obtained by The New Yorker reveal that, although (convicted sex offender Jeffery) Epstein was listed as “disqualified” in M.I.T.’s official donor database, the Media Lab continued to accept gifts from him, consulted him about the use of the funds, and, by marking his contributions as anonymous, avoided disclosing their full extent, both publicly and within the university.

Economic Times of India: In India, Whistleblower complaints up 30 percent at top companies known as the Nifty 50.

A little over half the companies in the Nifty 50 have got a cumulative 4,552 whistleblower complaints for FY19 — 30 per cent higher than the previous year. The period saw governance practices come under scrutiny at companies such as ICICI Bank, Sun Pharmaceuticals and IL&FS in the wake of such complaints. In FY18, 21 Nifty companies received 3,514 complaints, up 11 per cent from the previous year… Experts said the growth reflects a healthy trend. Historically, company insiders have chosen to look the other way when they become aware of wrongdoing but that’s changing, said Mukul Shrivastava, partner, forensic and integrity services, EY. The Companies Act 2013 forced organisations to establish a whistleblower mechanism and employees are being trained on how to go about making complaints, he said.

Health Leaders Media: Drug maker agrees to pay $15 million to resolve whistleblower kickback allegations.

Mallinckrodt ARD LLC will pay the federal government $15 million to resolve whistleblower allegations that the United Kingdom-based company wined and dined physicians to induce them to write prescriptions for the company’s pricey H.P. Acthar Gel, the Department of Justice said.