Leading Whistleblower Attorney Addresses International Environmental Group

On July 19, Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto founding partner Stephen M. Kohn, who serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Whistleblower Center, delivered a presentation to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)’s U.S. National Committee. The IUCN is internationally recognized for its efforts to stop wildlife trafficking and has recognized the importance of whistleblowers to this mission.

Drawing the attention of numerous environmental advocacy groups present, Kohn explained how U.S. whistleblower statutes work, including the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Anti-Money Laundering Act, the Dodd-Frank Act, and the Commodities Exchange Act, and characterized them as “revolutionary” and “super-sonic.” According to Kohn, these laws empower whistleblowers globally to receive rewards for exposing misconduct within any company whose stock is available for American investors to purchase—a definition encompassing most publicly traded firms worldwide.

Kohn also underscored the extensive reach of the newly enacted anti-money laundering law. He highlighted its ability to scrutinize banks interacting with the U.S. banking system, essentially the entirety of the world’s banking industry. With rigorous regulations that demand customer transparency and the reporting of dubious transactions, these laws impose stiff penalties on institutions failing to adhere, which can expose fraud schemes in wildlife traffickers, illegal fishing, and oil and mining industries.

Addressing other groundbreaking features of U.S. whistleblower laws, Kohn commended the federal government’s extraordinary record of maintaining whistleblower anonymity and confidentiality. In his lengthy career defending whistleblowers, Kohn revealed he has never encountered a single case of a whistleblower’s identity being exposed.

Kohn wrapped up his address with encouraging figures demonstrating the rise in tips received from foreign nationals by the SEC on various environmental crimes following the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act.

“The bottom line is, these laws work, and whistleblowers are willing to come forward,” Kohn concluded.