Examples of Illegal Activity in the Workplace

Whistleblowers may come forward to report many different kinds of unlawful or fraudulent behavior. Some of the most common include:

-Illegal billing or fraud – A government agency or employer knowingly bills for services never provided.
-Tax fraud or tax evasion – An employer avoids paying IRS, sales, or employee taxes.
-Bribery – Accepting or offering money or favors in exchange for unlawful actions.
-False reporting to government agencies

-Providing misleading or false information to agencies such as:
       • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
       • Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
       • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
       • Texas Workforce Commission (TWC)
       • Texas Education Agency (TEA), and Internal Revenue Service (IRS)

-Management concealing or lying about criminal activity or illegal acts committed in the workplace to law enforcement agency investigations, such as Illegal dumping, or concealing hostile acts or assaults committed on the work premises.

For private employers, the typical whistleblower laws do not exist. However, a private employer can still be liable for retaliating against employees who refuse to perform illegal acts. They are called “Sabine Pilot” cases, named after the case that created this protection. Examples include:

       • Refusing to work beyond state or federal laws that limit the amount of hours you can work in a given period;

       • Refusing to lie about a criminal investigation;

       • Concealing OSHA violations.

By exposing these activities, whistleblowers protect both the public and taxpayer resources.