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Whistleblowing – Investigating Your Own Employer

Exposing Misconduct in VA Hospitals: The Story of Detective Thomas Fiore

“People are dying.” This simple statement sums up the motivation of Detective Thomas Fiore, a Miami police investigator who risked his job¹ to expose misbehavior in a VA hospital in South Florida. Shocked by the frequency of drug dealing on hospital grounds, the detective attempted to stop the risky behavior by patients and others. Though drug dealing may occur in other hospitals, this hospital allegedly stopped Detective Fiore from investigating. He was unable to reconcile discrepancies between what the pharmacy should have in stock, and what drugs they actually did have in stock. A patient died in the hospital’s drug rehab center from a cocaine overdose, despite the fact that the patient was supposed to be residential and thus limited to the hospital grounds and protected from illegal drugs.

Detective Fiore had numerous other concerns about the policies at the hospital, including a lack of working security cameras installed despite funds allocated toward that purpose, patient abuse cover-ups, and concerns about theft of government property. Each concern, by itself, would be a serious allegation but together, they add up to a potential pattern of mismanagement in an agency tasked with the critical duty of keeping the nation’s veterans healthy. Detective Fiore felt he had no choice but to speak out.

The Importance of Whistleblower Protection

Mismanagement, misallocation of funds, theft, and other issues are not just limited to large agencies. They can happen in companies and organizations of any size, in any state in the nation. If you uncover theft or safety violations at your workplace, you may be protected by whistle blower protection laws². The laws are complex. If you think your employer has retaliated against you for engaging in protected activity, contact an experienced attorney right away. There are limited deadlines for making a complaint, some as soon as 30 days after the retaliatory activity.

The Law Offices of John J. Zidziunas & Associates has an experienced team of New York and New Jersey whistleblower lawyers who know and understand your rights. For further information, please feel free to Contact Us.

[1]: http://www.whistleblowers.gov
[2]: http://www.whistleblowers.gov

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