UBS Whistleblower Whining about Jail Time... - New England Patriots Forums

***DarrylS*** · 01-04-2010, 05:01 AM

This guy Birkenfield was an go between for US folks trying to hide their wealth in Swiss Bank Accounts... he rolled over and later pled to one count, so instead of sucking it up and taking responsiblity he thinks it is unfair but will still try to recover the whistleblower money... he got a 40 month bid, and is whining .. don't do the crime if you can't do the time.

60 Minutes Video - Web Extra: The Undeclared Account - CBS.com

A brief synopsis..

UBS whistleblower asks why he is going to prison | Reuters

Quote:

Birkenfeld was handed his sentence by a Florida district court judge in August, two days after U.S. and Swiss authorities signed a pact in which Switzerland agreed to reveal the names of about 4,450 wealthy American clients of UBS to U.S. tax investigators.

No other UBS bankers have been jailed in connection with the massive tax fraud case. Birkenfeld's former boss, a Swiss citizen and an alleged mastermind of the conspiracy, was detained in the United States in 2008 and held for four months on a material witness warrant before he was quietly allowed to leave the country.

"I gave them the biggest tax fraud case in the world," Birkenfeld says in the interview, portions of which were released by CBS on Wednesday.

sdaniels7114 · 01-04-2010, 05:38 AM

He showed off his ankle monitor. I noticed he was wearing prolly $800 shoes and $500 slacks.

I just wasn't feeling the pity.

***DarrylS*** · 01-04-2010, 05:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sdaniels7114

He showed off his ankle monitor. I noticed he was wearing prolly $800 shoes and $500 slacks.

I just wasn't feeling the pity.

Could not feel it either... at the end of a very aggravating day, this was the proverbial cherry.

Mrs.PatsFanInVa · 01-04-2010, 05:55 AM

He is also seeking several billion dollars in "reward money" which he has a pretty good chance of getting.

Birkenfeld, who is to begin his prison term as soon as January, will seek “at least several billion dollars,” says his lawyer, Stephen M. Kohn.

It might sound like a pretty penny for a convicted felon, but some experts believe Birkenfeld, 44, has a good chance to cash in.

“I do think he has a serious claim,” said Erika A. Kelton, a partner at Phillips & Cohen, a law firm that specializes in large whistle-blower claims. “It was very credible, very useful information from inside UBS that he provided. The law is pretty clean on this.”

Under a 2006 whistle-blower law, explains the NYT’s Lynnley Browning, informants now stand to collect 15 to 30% of the taxes, fines, penalties and interest ultimately collected by the I.R.S. In the case of UBS, the tally could run into the billions.

Informants who are convicted of “planning” and “initiating” the schemes are not entitled to bounties. But Birkenfeld, is not seeking rewards for money collected from his own clients. Instead, his lawyers are arguing that he is entitled to a reward stemming from the thousands of others who have come forward in recent months about hidden, offshore bank accounts.

From Snitch to Rich? The Case of UBS’s Brad Birkenfeld - Law Blog - WSJ

***DarrylS*** · 01-04-2010, 05:59 AM

The Whistle Blower stuff is interesting as you need deep pockets, which he has, to pursue it.. he will do time in a club fed somewhere (hopefully his cell will have a nice view).. and work in a prison library.. not quite sure why he would go on TV... he came on at a time I was already super aggravated, and he aggravated me even more.

Suspect that if his whistle blower suit does have legs they will cut him a deal..