Groups Seek Presidential Pardon for UBS Tax Whistleblower

The National Whistleblowers Center and other groups today sent a letter to President Obama requesting that UBS tax whistleblower Bradley Birkenfeld, who began serving his prison sentence on Jan. 9, be given a presidential pardon:

We ask that you issue a presidential pardon to UBS whistleblower Bradley Charles Birkenfeld, or commute his 40-month prison sentence to time served. This needs to be done immediately in order to correct the personal harm inflicted on Bradley Birkenfeld, and reverse the devastating impact Mr. Birkenfeld’s case will have on international law enforcement efforts.

Mr. Birkenfeld’s unprecedented voluntary disclosures led directly to the agreement between the United States and UBS AG for the payment of $780,000,000.00 in fines and penalties. His disclosures led to the creation of an IRS amnesty program, in which 14,700 people have come forward and admitted to illegal secret accounts, resulting in the recovery of billions of dollars by the IRS. Mr. Birkenfeld’s whistleblower contributions also led to the termination of the entire $20 billion illegal UBS program that existed to solicit and encourage wealthy Americans to hide their money in secret offshore accounts, and the creation of a new international tax treaty between the U.S. and Switzerland.