Enron has gone down in history as one of the greatest frauds of all-time, but now a USA Today investigation shows that another fraud may have emerged in its wake: self-proclaimed whistle-blower Lynn Brewer.
According ot the newspaper, "... a USA TODAY investigation, involving interviews with two dozen former colleagues, reveals Brewer to be an astute self-promoter who parlayed an undistinguished 32-month stint as an Enron employee into a lucrative career in the corporate ethics industry. She appears to have succeeded by modeling herself after another woman regarded as an Enron whistle-blower, Sherron Watkins."
It appears that Brewer may be exaggerating the seniority of her position at Enron, and claiming to have knowledge of inner workings at the company that she didn't really have. She has described herself as a former Enron executive but former colleagues disput that claim, saying her work was clerical in nature.
She's not the first former Enron "whistleblower" to draw criticism. Dan Ackman questioned Watkins' conduct in a 2002 column, wondering whether the fact that she never alerted the public -- and in fact sold stock -- really qualifies her as a whistleblower. In an interview with Fast Company in 2002, Jeffrey Wigand -- the man who blew the whistle on tobacco industry, also questioned Watkins' behavior:
On the subject of Enron's Sherron Watkins, he is adamant that she doesn't deserve the praise that the media has lavished on her. She wrote an excellent memo outlining her concerns, he says, but it was an internal memo to then-CEO Kenneth Lay. She didn't go far enough for Wigand. She didn't go to the media or, more important, to the SEC. "She turned around, sat back down, and shut up," he says. "I don't think what she did was right."
In the wake of the Enron and Worldcom scandals, the media had a craving for heroes -- the fraud at those two companies showed such a dark side of humanity that we needed to see good people doing the right thing. And the media found its heroes, even if they didn't really deserve it.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-14-2007 @ 12:21AM
Pepperann said...
I not only believe she "is" a whistle blower (thats a Good Thing) I believe Enron & Dell are connected.
Check out how the "E's" in both names, both Slant backwards with the E falling into the D.
Are they in Bed together or what?? Ya think?
10-14-2007 @ 7:52PM
61857 said...
- Bottom line here is ENRON executives Kenneth L. Lay, Jeffrey Skilling, Clifford Baxter, Andrew Fastow, Michael Kopper, Daniel Bayly, James Brown,et al., grand-daddy of corporate frauds. ....
were found quilty and otherwise would never have been exposed. Enron employees trusted their employer.
Enron employees not only lost their jobs, but they lost their life savings ... 401k and IRA savings, ...$1.2 billion, was invested in Enron stock. ...Enron employees, who have lost an estimated $850 million on Enron stock held in their 401(k) retirement accounts. ... Enron employees lost a collective $1.3 billion et al.,
The true tragedy here is TRUST, the employees trusted their employer, NEVER AGAIN. Unless you are an employee of Federal Government NEVER TRUST Civilian employers NEVER.
I was stupid enough to work for Manpower (a temporary agency), who paid me $7.00 per hour while billing the employers $23.00 per hour, Manpower collected quite a commission off me for 10 years, no benefits, no medical, no retirement, ask me how stupid was I to have TRUSTED them. And all the while Manpower stated quote "oh, its a temp to hire position" Never at any time did I bother to verify with the employer HR Department to verify the facts. I was the biggest looser. I TRUSTED Manpower to look out for my best interrest , my well being, the joke was on me!
They, employers NEVER look out for the employees, its only THEMSELVES, there FAMILIES. So NEVER make the mistake that your employer has YOUR best interrest at heart, they don't.
Usery is a corporate game plan. How do I get the slaves to think we care, we don't. I have learned NEVER trust any Corporate entity that claims to be a Fortune 500 company and buff puffs their assets. There professional corporate Con Artists nothing more, nothing less.
10-14-2007 @ 8:28AM
Diane said...
I can't wait to get brush out of the office. If they would look in other countrys like afica were people are being shot down like animals even babys Their are the one's that need our help. We need to get the big business out of these country's and fight for what is really happing there. It sick to know that our men and women are dyeing for money and not our country.
10-14-2007 @ 9:12AM
sonnype said...
Why is it that some people try to dicredit people who have the courage and ethics to speak out when they see an injustice done?These individuals who spoke out deserve our respect and graditute for doing what was right and those that want to demean or try to discredit them deserve neither.
10-29-2007 @ 9:17PM
Barry Hurd said...
I wonder if this eye-opener to the whistle-blowing story is a little better
"Working diligently through the week, contributing reporter Greg Farrell from USAToday probably never realized that his actions would send an impact around the world. In a hurried rush of editorial confusion, Greg succumbed to the pressure of sending along a message that should have been double-checked."
I felt that was a better resolution to the article, actually adding to it, rather than just adding commentary.