About Geoff Schweller
Geoff Schweller is the Communications Director for Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto (KKC). Geoff graduated from Hamilton College in 2019 with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology. He is also the Assistant News Editor for Whistleblower Network News.
From the Whistleblower and Qui Tam Blog
IRS Annual Report Shows Whistleblower Program in Crisis
On June 10, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Whistleblower Office released its Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report. In Fiscal Year 2021 (FY 2021), which ran from October 1, 2020 - September 31, 2021, the IRS Whistleblower Program collected $245 million thanks to whistleblower tips and paid out $36 million in whistleblower awards. These statistics, which are drastically lower than those of recent years, as well as the long delays detailed in the report, highlight the need for reforms to the whistleblower program. The amount awarded to whistleblowers by the IRS in FY 2021 was the lowest since FY 2017 and was only about half of the average yearly total for the program’s history. The $36 million total is also extremely lower than the amount awarded in FY 2018. That year, the IRS Whistleblower Program granted a record $312 million in whistleblower awards. The total amount of money collected from fraudsters ...
Governor Polis Signs Colorado False Claims Act into Law
On June 7, Governor Jared Polis signed the Colorado False Claims Act (CFCA) into law. The CFCA is modeled off the highly successful federal False Claims Act and empowers whistleblowers with knowledge of government contracting fraud to file qui tam lawsuits on behalf of the state. Whistleblowers who bring forth successful qui tam suits are entitled to up to 30% of the proceeds recovered. "The False Claims Act is the most successful anti-fraud law protecting taxpayers and preventing corruption in government programs,” said leading whistleblower attorney Stephen M. Kohn of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto. “Colorado stands to generate billions in revenues by policing fraud in government sponsored programs, both by deterring violations and holding fraudsters accountable. The Colorado lawmakers who have made these improvements possible should be commended." The CFCA was cosponsored by Representative Matt Gray, Representative Mike Weissman, and Senator Faith Winter. The law enhances enforcement efforts against individuals ...
Ethical Boardroom Magazine Features Article Centering Whistleblowing in Fight Against Corruption
The latest issue of Ethical Boardroom, a magazine focusing on global corporate governance issues, features a piece written by Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto (KKC) founding partner Stephen M. Kohn. Kohn’s article, entitled “Bankers, Putin, and the Whistleblowers,” provides an overview of U.S. corporate whistleblowing laws and the role they play in the U.S. strategy to combat corruption. Kohn begins by highlighting the Danske Bank whistleblower Howard Wilkinson, a KKC client. Wilkinson is a former Danske Bank employee who blew the whistle on a $230 billion Russian money-laundering scheme centered in an Estonian branch of Danske Bank. The scheme profited Russian oligarchs, relatives of Vladimir Putin, the FSB (the Russian secret police), and individuals involved in organized crime in Russia. According to Kohn, Wilkinson “figured out that to which the entire anti-money laundering (AML) compliance programme had turned a blind eye. The banks had profited from Russian criminals, money laundering, and ...
Whistleblower of the Week Podcast Features KKC Founding Partner
Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto founding partner Stephen M. Kohn is the guest on an episode of the Whistleblower of the Week podcast released on June 1. Whistleblower of the Week is a biweekly podcast published by Whistleblower Network News where FBI whistleblower and WNN reporter Jane Turner interviews whistleblower and whistleblower advocates. In the episode, Kohn and Turner begin by talking about what's going on in the international world of whistleblowing. During a recent trip to London, Kohn presented at the Association of Corporate Investigators’ Banking Investigators Forum. There, Kohn spoke with bank investigators about how U.S. whistleblower laws extend protections to U.K. residents and also explained the unique procedures that investigators and auditors can utilize to obtain protection. Kohn and Turner also discuss Kohn’s work over the past decades to spread awareness about the "good news" that whistleblowing works to lawmakers and regulators, both at home and abroad. "We ...
Leading Whistleblower Attorney Speaks at World Justice Forum
The World Justice Forum 2022 is being held from May 30 through June 3 both in-person in The Hague, Netherlands and virtually online. At the forum, hundreds of rule of law actors from around the world gather to discuss fair and effective access to justice for all, open and accountable government, and equal rights protections. On May 31, Kohn, Kohn & Colaptino founding partner Stephen M. Kohn presented at the Forum. Kohn hosted a working session entitled “Whistleblowing for Our Future: Innovations in Society’s Best Anti-Corruption Tool.” Siri Nelson, Executive Director of the National Whistleblower Center (NWC) and Mark Worth, Executive Director of Whistleblowing International co-hosted the session alongside Kohn. The session was designed to engage participants “in a solutions-driven discussion on harnessing whistleblowing to support their work,” according to the World Justice Forum Agenda. Kohn, Nelson and Worth shared their expertise on incorporating whistleblower protections into comprehensive strategies to ...
Leading U.S. Whistleblower Attorney to Speak at U.K. Banking Investigators Forum
On May 26, the United Kingdom’s Association of Corporate Investigators (ACi) is hosting a Banking Investigators Forum. The in-person, invite-only event features a full day of programming specifically designed for banking investigators. Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto founding partner Stephen M. Kohn will speak at the event on the role of whistleblowing in effective banking compliance. Whistleblowing is one of the seven main topics to be covered at the forum. Kohn will be featured in a “fireside chat” with Steve Young, the CEO of ACi. Kohn has represented whistleblowers for decades, including two highly notable banking whistleblowers. He represented Bradley Birkenfeld, the former UBS banker whose whistleblowing ended Swiss banking as it existed and netted himself a $104 million IRS whistleblower award. Kohn also currently represents Howard Wilkinson, the Danske Bank whistleblower who exposed a $234 billion money laundering scheme. “Stephen has a unique insight into what motivates bank employees to ...