Whistleblower: U.S. Politicians Kept Off-Shore Accounts With UBS

[kpete]

Whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld: Some U.S. pols kept off-shore accounts with UBS

Juan Gonzalez - News

Friday, April 16th 2010, 4:00 AM
UBS whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld
AP

A former banker who blew the whistle on thousands of secret bank accounts rich Americans held at Swiss giant UBS claimed Thursday some U.S. politicians also kept off-shore accounts with the bank.

"We had an office in Washington that we all referred to as the PEP office - for 'Politically Exposed People,'" Bradley Birkenfeld said.

He was speaking by phone - on tax day, no less - from Schuylkill County federal prison in Pennsylvania, where he is serving a 40-month sentence for his role in the tax evasion scheme.

"Only top managers from the bank knew the names of the political clients," Birkenfeld said.

more:
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2010/04/16/2010-04-16_blowing_the_whistle__on_pols_some_had_offshore_ubs_accounts__exbanker.html#ixzz0lHHGuhHR

[Bitwit1234]

1. Gee wonder which party they belonged to...I don't have to wonder do you all.

[ChairmanAgnostic]

2. both, unfortunately.

When we decided to grab corporate money to compete with the GOP, our pols were bought and sold just as badly as the GOP's.

[Andy823]

3. I agree.

Greed knows no bounds, and no political party is immune from it! They need to get the names of those politicians who are guilty of this, and fine the hell out of them, make them pay their back taxes, and kick the out of congress! We need to clean up this kind of thing no matter what party the guilty person is in!

[ChairmanAgnostic]

6. D L C

Dumbocrats Licking Corporate butts

and liking it.

All those dollar signs, and not a creflo in sight.

[MattBaggins]

19. I'll bet my left testicle that Chris Dodd was one of them.

[unabelladonna]

4. don't be naive..

they're all liars and swindlers(republicans and democrats). although i don't agree with him on every issue, dennis kucinich is probably one of the very few who is honorable.

[UpInArms]

8. then you should check out Russ Feingold

you'll be impressed.

[UpInArms]

9. and Bernie Sanders

[unabelladonna]

14. i stand corrected.

:toast:

[UpInArms]

16. not a problem.

sometimes we just need to be reminded that there are those who stand with us and for us - and for whom will we will fight to the finish

:toast:

[patrice]

10. and Anthony Weiner and Alan Grayson and Al Franken

[UpInArms]

17. good names and good folk - glad that they are

out there putting up the good fight.

[karynnj]

20. There are likely very many

Here people are listing those that were left heroes at some point, but there are likely many in both parties that did not take money for themselves or bribes. I would even include my Republican Representative, who I vote against.

[Swamp Rat]

5. Of course they did and still do.

Politicians do not give a fuck you, me, our families, friends, neighbors, pets and animals...

[flyarm]

7. Excellent pix SwampRat and 100% accurate! As i posted elsewhere today one of my former neighbors

is one of the top 5 guys at UBS..a rabid rabid rabid republican..he gave a boatload of money to Obama and the DNC/DLC..when i saw that ..I knew we were all sold down the river!

Oh and this guy truely doesn't give a flying ass about the people..he has just built a huge huge mansion on a river in my hometown ..and a huge huge mansion at the beach..with a huge yacht in the back yard!

I have heard this man and his wife Laugh at "the little people"..

And he was for years constantly attacking me for being a democrat!! In fact I was a thorn in his side..and he "mocked me" working for charities,..and working at homeless shelters!

None of these fuckers have a damn thing to worry about and they are sitting on their yachts drinking martini's and laughing at "we the people"

They are very secure under Obama..count on that! They bought him.

I keep saying it, but many do not want to hear it or believe it..there are no two parties any longer..yes.. there is an illusion of two parties.. for those who want to believe against the truth..but there is one party.. with one big money pot in the middle..and you are not invited to the party!

[patrice]

11. Nothing will change until we get Campaign Finance and Voting Reforms nt

[Nothing Without Hope]

12. ...and how many crooks keep their secret accounts elsehwhere, like the Caimans?

Tip of the iceberg. May they all be exposed for what they are, somehow.

[patrice]

13. Let's begin by auditing the Federal Reserve. nt

[babsbunny]

15. I Heart Whistleblowers!

:loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[clear eye]

18. Petition for clemency for unjustly jailed UBS whistleblower Birkenfeld

Mr. Birkenfeld was the UBS banker who blew the whistle to the Feds on abuses of account secrecy by a number of U.S. clients and directed them toward sources of information for many others. UBS AG was forced to pay $780 million in fines and penalties to the U.S., but it seems not before they struck a deal to make sure no one would ever be inclined to blow that particular whistle again. Though the most egregious tax cheats were given probation, Mr. Birkenfeld was given a sentence of almost 3 1/2 years in jail which he started serving in January. He was falsely alleged to have witheld information on his own clients who were culpable, but transcripts of his testimony before a Senate Banking subcommittee shows that this was just not the case. Besides being a glaring injustice, his treatment obviously creates a huge chilling effect on others who are or will be contemplating blowing the whistle on misbehavior at any large bank.

Petition to Grant Clemency to UBS Bank Whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld

For more info see the National Whistleblowers Center webpage on Bradley Birkenfeld, and these videos: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/4/15/ubs and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5QCN0vqjZE