If you found out your Leader or Immediate Supervisor was doing something against the law, like fraud, what would you do?

I would have to report and risk the reprucushions

I would report fraud

Sp4 Byron Skinner…Very tricky question. It was not uncommon for permeant station NCO’s to have side business going both on and of post. Things like kick back from the PX Barber for haircuts for trainees don’t amount to much, but still its not legal. Then you have the Mess sergeant that leaves food out on the loading dock at the end of the day and the next morning it is gone. The Company Clerk that takes care of the duty rousted and who gets guard duty, or KP or grounds detail tec. who is willing to take a bribe to remove a name from the list or just move around the date. The 1st Sgt. who when over seas can see which platoon get Coke or Diet-Rite Cola for soda rations, or where the Marlboros and Winston’s go and where the cartons of Chesterfield or Lucky Strike go, for your Cigarette rations (a cartons per week per soldier, non smokers also too the ration for trading with the locals.….Some 50 years later I ran across our CO and came out and asked him if he knew what was gong on just outside his office door….he pleaded ignorance. Its all part of Army life and the closer to combat you get the more it happens. Its not very smart for an E-4 to challenge the E-8 First Sargent. Its suicide to confront an officer. You will be in the bush until you were a causality and unfit for duty, and you are part of one of the numbers that go up every Friday night on the CBS Evening news How may killed that week and how many wounded that required medical treatment. The blind and the gimps.

Per the usual, sir, your are on target about things going on in the military today (even if it is an aged post!).

First thing you got to do is COVER YOUR ASS !!! Because SHIT ROLLS DOWN HILL !! No matter who you are , or what rank your are . You are at the Bottom of the Hill . when you blow the whistle on anything Been there done that .

You mean like the BNSGM of 27th Eng Cbt Abn in 1999 who decided a after hours 'work detail' was needed to lay down the new sod he purchased on his gov(Unit) credit card, then left sitting on lawn chair, with the beer he was drinking(but not providing to the soldiers working), yeaaahhhhhh, I think maybe someone would be told, like a 1SG who had NO CLUE his soldiers were the one's doing the work. Damn them Prince Hall Mason drug deals!

Like 1SGT Healy it happened to me, and the first time I talked to my mentor. He used it as a teaching point (and I didn't/wouldn't have called him a mentor then!) and asked what was I going to do about it. Pointed out that every variation from the correct way to do things results in further degradation of the individual who varies. Bit by bit, your integrity gets chipped away. So, what are you gonna do, Sarge? Brought it up the chain of command. In the military, issue resolved. In civilian life, the idea of protected activity is actually kind of questionable. Doesn't exist outside of government service or contractors. As a civilian, I made the decision that I was going to do my job regardless of consequences. When someone above you chokes off investigation or accountability, you know that you don't want to be there anyway. Or, as I said in one case to the poor guy delegated to tell me that the company was now going to go another way -- "It's ok, Ken. I've been thrown out of far nicer places that this one..."

Lots of serious stuff here. Most folks posting don’t need any advice on what to do or when or how to do it. My concern is for the things that might not be right but you don’t have enough facts or evidence to be sure. Before you pull that trigger and report it be very sure that you know what you are doing and have the specific things identified that clearly establish a violation. The last thing you want is to be shown some facts that you didn’t know or some exculpatory evidence after you reported the matter.

If what you think is going on is serious but you are not sure of it, make sure if doing that is in your purview. Otherwise, report it to the IG or other responsible authority making sure that your reduced level of confidence is very clear to them. Whatever you do, don’t try to use reports of wrongdoing as a method of revenge or retaliation. Those who will be investigating can smell that stuff from across town. It could even cause your report to be disregarded and lead to repercussions fit for a baseless complaint regardless of whether or not it is baseless.

So you think somehow you have found the Holley Grail of fraud, Lincoln strung up hundreds of Contractors for fraud, seams like , in the military it's risky to point it out, perhaps , better to think it out first, anonimusly report it to GOA, IF NOTHING GETS DONE ITS FAR bove your pay scale, I do consulting for gov projects, overcharging is regular, I never point it out as fraud, just cause reperatons to be paid back to whatever agency lost it, and most of the time, it's not long after that, my job ends!

It happens in private industry and even in charitable organizations, big name ones. Like Catholic Charities. They utilized one person's license to bill Medicare for services done by others. They did it to one licensed person and attempted to do it to another. The 'other' person reported it to her 2nd line supervisor and nothing was done. Then the workplace became a hostile workplace. They did everything to force the person to leave. Firing would have raised it to a court level. She found another job and is moving to another job after close to 10 years of exemplary work.