In this episode, FBI whistleblower Jane talks with Trevor Kitchen, who blew the whistle on currency manipulation. Kitchen expressed that he was in a “very serious situation” and that “nowhere in the EU is safe” for him and his wife because of an arrest warrant. These fears would ring true when, on April 21, Kitchen was detained by Dutch officials at Schiphol Airport while he and his wife were attempting to travel. His detention occurred a mere week after this podcast episode was recorded. Fortunately, Kitchen was released on May 4 and told WNN he will be preparing a statement and catching up on much-needed sleep in the coming days.

Kitchen blew the whistle in 2011 after he noticed that his pension of 700,000 Swiss francs lost all of its value. He “exposed a scheme in which a major currency trader and several banks in multiple countries colluded to lower the values of the U.S. dollar and the British sterling pound for their own financial gain,” prior WNN reporting states. He was arrested in Portugal on January 19, 2021, on a European arrest warrant, which accused him of “crimes against personal honor, violation of privacy and threats,” according to the Whistleblower of the Week profile featuring Kitchen. On June 9, 2021, a Court of Appeals in Portugal ruled against a Swiss request for Kitchen’s extradition.

During this podcast episode, Kitchen starts off his story with what happened to him after he left the island of Madeira after winning the Swiss extradition case. He talks about what happened with the arrest warrants and criminal proceedings against him; he also describes basically living off the grid on his Swiss pension, without healthcare and too afraid to travel and visit family.

 He tells Turner about his background in the financial industry and describes what exactly he blew the whistle on – and the way he went about it. Kitchen discusses how even though the disclosures about the currency manipulation led to financial sanctions against the banks involved, none of the whistleblowers involved, including Kitchen, got one cent. He sets the record straight on what he was raising concerns about and how his faith in regulators has been shaken. Additionally, Kitchen talks about the severe repercussions he has had to face due to his whistleblowing, how currency manipulation affects the average person, and continuing his whistleblower fight for over 11 years.

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In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks with Nestlé whistleblower Dr. Yasmine Motarjemi. Dr. Motarjemi joined Nestlé in 2000 as its corporate food safety manager and was in charge of food safety at the global level, working in the head office based in Switzerland. She talks with Jane about her education and career path to Nestlé and details the food safety issues at the company she soon noticed, telling Turner that in the first 5 or 6 years of her time at Nestlé, it was a “battle to improve food safety.” Some of the things Dr. Motarjemi tried to raise awareness about within the company were babies choking on certain Nestlé biscuits, chemicals in pet food, and E. coli found in cookie dough. In 2005, she advocated for transparency in a situation in which infant formula had to be recalled because of a presence of ink from the packaging. She and Turner discuss the global ramifications of these food safety issues. 

In this episode, Dr. Motarjemi also talks with Turner about the efforts she went to to raise concerns about the food safety issues and mishandling of food safety management. She delves into the harsh and extensive retaliation and psychological harassment she faced; she also talks about the repercussions of said retaliation on her physical and mental health. Dr. Motarjemi recounts her battle in court with Nestlé and her fight to prove that she was speaking truth to power and trying to protect consumers. Finally, she and Turner talk about having a fierce spirit of a whistleblower and what shaped her strong conscience. 


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Listen to the podcast on WNN or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or Amazon. Subscribe on your favorite platform!

 In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner continues her conversation with Stephanie Van de Motter, who blew the whistle on safety concerns at a luxury apartment building in Santa Monica. In the last episode, Van de Motter provided background on her journey to getting a dream job at 1221 Ocean Avenue and excelling at her job and then detailed her whistleblower story and how the situation took a turn for the worst. In this episode, she picks up her story by talking about being constructively discharged from her role at the apartment building, going through the arbitration, and the fight to get attorney’s fees. 


Turner and Van de Motter talk about the struggles of being women whistleblowers, and Van de Motter describes the hardships she faced at a job following her job with the Irvine Company where she blew the whistle. Van de Motter then discusses her transition to becoming a whistleblower advocate and talks about the Silenced No More Foundation, a peer-to-peer support group for whistleblowers. She highlights aspirations for the foundation and goals to inspire and aid the next generation of whistleblowers through personal storytelling and providing platforms for whistleblowers to share their experiences. 

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 In this episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast, FBI whistleblower Jane Turner talks with Stephanie Van de Motter, who worked and lived in 1221 Ocean Avenue, a luxury apartment building in Santa Monica owned by the Irvine Company. Van de Motter talks about her journey from Michigan to California and the dream job she landed, where she brushed shoulders with the rich and famous and created a community at the apartment building. She details her discovery of a systemic mold and water intrusion problem at the complex. Van de Motter then talks about the ways in which the company first tried to hide the problems and then fix the issues — but in ways that endangered residents, defied safety standards, and prioritized profits. 

Van de Motter recalls her whistleblower journey, her fight for attorney’s fees, and describes how the company retaliated against her. She provides insights into the personal toll retaliation has taken on her and how she has been blackballed in her industry. Finally, she talks with Turner about her hope for the future generations of whistleblowers and starts to discuss her advocacy for whistleblower rights and the foundation she started, the Silenced No More Foundation. Part II of Van de Motter’s episode, where she talks more about her advocacy work and gives more insight into her case, will be published on April 11: stay tuned! 

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In this episode, Jane talks with Siri Nelson, Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC). Nelson discusses the ins and outs of information whistleblowers need to know and how they can get help. She talks about the advocacy, education, and policy work NWC does and looks to the future, highlighting her goals for the organization over the next 10 years. Nelson also gives insight into her personal background, career path, and how she became interested in whistleblower issues.

They discuss cultural attitudes towards whistleblowers and how these attitudes may have shifted in recent years, shining a light on international whistleblowers, and NWC’s yearly National Whistleblower Day celebration.
 
Corrections: Nelson said that the SEC gave over $1 billion in sanctions but meant that the SEC paid over $1 billion in whistleblower awards. 

Additionally, she said the name of the Wildlife Conservation and Anti-Trafficking Act incorrectly: the bill title is as written here. 

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In this episode, Jane talks with Judge Alex Ferrer, a former police officer, Circuit Court Judge, star of the nationally syndicated courtroom TV show “Judge Alex,” and host of the CBS TV show “Whistleblower.” Ferrer discusses his background and start as a promising young police officer in Florida and details his journey of becoming the youngest Circuit Court judge at the time. He talks about his dramatic transition to television and being offered a TV show, being voted the most trustworthy daytime TV host, and how the show “Whistleblower” came about.

Take a peek behind the scenes with Ferrer as he describes pitching the show and how it came about, the way in which whistleblowers were chosen to have their stories featured on the show, and Ferrer’s vision for the program. He and Jane also discuss the power of the False Claims Act, what sets whistleblowers apart, and all the incredible whistleblower stories that have yet to be told. Finally, Ferrer talks about his continued advocacy for whistleblowers and what’s next for him.

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In the second part of a two-part episode, Jane continues her conversation with Mike German, an FBI whistleblower who blew the whistle on illegal wire-tapping. In the first part of the podcast, German talked about his journey through the FBI and described his whistleblowing experience.  German provides more information about his experience going undercover in neo-Nazi and white supremacist circles. He and Jane talk about further misconduct at the FBI and the similarities between different FBI whistleblowers’ stories. German also provides insight on the January 6th attack on the Capitol and white supremacy under the Trump Administration. The two FBI whistleblowers also discuss changes the FBI could make in their hiring practices to encourage diversity and ponder the question: why would the FBI lie?

Read the Whistleblower of the Week profile on German here. 

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In the first part of a two-part episode, Jane talks with Mike German, an FBI whistleblower. German talks about his journey through the FBI and provides incredible, in-depth insight about going undercover in neo-Nazi and white supremacist circles. He shares his wealth of knowledge about this topic and discusses the illegal wire-tapping on which he blew the whistle. German talks about the retaliation he faced for blowing the whistle, and he and Jane discuss internal whistleblowing at the Bureau.

The second part of the Mike German episode will be posted tomorrow: stay tuned! In the second part of the episode, German gives more details about his whistleblowing case, provides insight into the January 6th attacks on the Capitol, and talks with Jane about the Bureau at large.

Read the Whistleblower of the Week profile on German here. 

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 In this episode, Jane chats with Scott Davis, who blew the whistle while working for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Davis talks about his whistleblowing experience, the culture at the VA, and the injustices he has faced on his whistleblower journey. Davis also discusses his future at the VA, support from the veteran community, and how everyone can help elevate veterans’ stories in meaningful ways.

Read the Whistleblower of the Week profile on Davis here. 

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In this exclusive interview and her first media appearance since being released from prison, FinCEN whistleblower Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards tells her story in her own words. Edwards talks with FBI whistleblower Jane Turner about her career journey through the intelligence community, eventually landing at the Treasury Department. She talks about what she witnessed at Treasury, serving time in prison for exposing information to the public, and the horrific conditions she was subjected to while inside. Finally, Edwards discusses her next steps.

The views expressed by podcast guests are their own and not the view of the Whistleblower Network News.

Donate to Edwards’ GoFundMe fundraiser here. 

Read Edwards’ story in four parts on WNN.

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