From the Arizona Republic 2000
Eugene Swenson, 64, and the Defense Department have joined forces in a
civil lawsuit that claims Boeing Co. failed to properly install
components called "fuzz busters" on its Mesa-
helicopters. The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Phoenix under the
False Claims Act, seeks damages of $20 million. It claims all 1,083
Apache AH-
contained faulty fuzz busters. Swensen, a former Boeing engineer, was
assigned to find out why the fuzz buster indicators were misfiring. He
said he told Boeing management three years ago that the malfunctioning
was due to improper installation. Swensen claims that management then
quickly fabricated a story that absolved the company of any wrongdoing.
He no longer received work assignments. Swensen retired from the company
on Jan. 31, 1999. Swensen said he had issued change orders and tried
working with Boeing engineers to rectify the situation at little or no
cost to the company. He decided to file the suit using the whistle-
provision of the False Claims Act after he said Boeing began lacing his
personnel file with unsubstantiated accusations regarding his work
performance. "This was my last resort," Swensen said.
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As taken from the Arizona Republic
Bob Mullally's story began in 1992. He was hired by an attorney to use his
extensive background in personnel work to examine Los Angeles police
files containing domestic abuse complaints from 1990 to 1993 against its
own officers. His report detailed 61 assaults, 287 assaults with a deadly
weapon, six rapes and one sodomy. Ninety percent of the files contained a
note by internal affairs investigators saying a crime had been committed,
but there had not been a single prosecution. The files were not to become
public in a trial since the specific case filed by the attorney was
settled out of court. Mullally gave the files to a LA TV reporter
believing the information should be made public. The station aired the
findings, and city officials came under heavy fire. In response, the city
ordered an investigation, which essentially confirmed what Mullally had
written. Rather than take action against the officers named in Mullally's
report, the city chose to go after him for releasing personnel files. He
had a contempt of court charge against him and was convicted on January
5, 2001. He is now scheduled for sentencing on his case in March. He
could face up to six months in jail.
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As taken from the Arizona Republic August 16, 2000
Bruce Eilerts blew whistle on some Luke Air Force Base officers, alleging
their improprieties in protecting an expanse of pristine Sonoran
Desert. Bruce is a wildlife biologist for 17 years and lost his job
November of 1999. He was the supervisor of the natural and cultural
resources section for the Barry M. Goldwater Air Force Range since 1993.
The range is in southwestern Arizona and is used by the military to train
pilots in air-
maneuvering and other defense purposes. The Air Force and Marine Corps
are its environmental stewards, so therefore they are charged with protecting
the wildlife, vegetation and Native American archaeological and cultural
resources. In 1996, Eilerts and others began complaining about the way
the military was handling its responsibilities on the range, including an
accidental bomb drop and an aircraft incident that weren't properly
handled. Eilerts said he turned to the Public Employees for
Environmental Responsibility in July 1999 after his complaints went
unanswered and harassment by the officers increased. PEER filed his
complaints with the Air Force's inspector general. The day before
Thanksgiving, Eilerts was fired while the investigation was under way. He
has managed to find work after about six months and is still battling his
wrongful termination with the Air Force, scheduled for court in the
Spring.
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