Depending on who you ask, a whistleblower is either an unsung hero who puts their life and career on the line for the sake of revealing the truth. Tha

Depending on who you ask, a whistleblower is either an unsung hero who puts their life and career on the line for the sake of revealing the truth. That or they can seem like a  huge pest who’s meddling in things that don’t concern them. But as you may already know, it rarely ever ends well for those individuals; they all seem to vanish under strange circumstances after exposing corruption. This article explores the demise of some history’s most popular whistleblowers. 1. Alberto Nisman – Argentine Lawyer Alberto Nisman was an Argentine lawyer who specialized in international terrorism. In 2004, he became the head prosecutor for the case of the 1994 AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) attack. Not long into his investigation, Nisman noticed that things weren’t adding up and was certain of a cover-up. He quickly filed a complaint accusing several top Argentine officials, including the President and Minister of Foreign Relations, of concealing information. The following day, Nisman was found deceased in his home. 2. William Morgan – The Freemason Whistleblower In 1819, William Morgan, a Virginia native moved with his wife and two children to Canada where he started a brewery. After that failed (due to a fire), he returned to the U.S. where he tried to join the local Freemason society, claiming to have been a member in the Canadian sector. When they rejected his advances, Morgan announced that he would be writing a book revealing the society’s secrets. The Freemasons didn’t take this lightly and quickly took action: first with an arson attempt on his newspaper business, then allegedly, his eventual disappearance. Some theories state that he was paid to leave the country, but many suspect otherwise. 3. Haywin Strydom – 28s Gang Whistleblower George ”Gewald '' Thomas was the ruthless leader of South Africa’s “28s Gang” who prosecutors were having a hard time convicting due to the reluctance of eye witnesses to come forward. However, one brave soul, Harwin Strydom, was willing to testify. Before the day came, Strydom was taken out of the equation. With his last breath, Stydom managed to identify “Gewald’s Henchmen '' as the culprits. This confession was gold for the court who hit Thomas with seven life sentences and an extra 175 years for good measure. 4. Val Broeksmit – Deutsche Bank Executive Shortly after his stepfather's death in 2014, Val Broeksmit stumbled upon a series of suspicious emails and documents which he exposed to the public. He was soon contacted by the federal authorities for his help in Deutsche Bank’s possible money laundering to Russia. It wasn’t long till they discovered that the bank’s American counterpart had received a $330 deposit from a bank connected to the Russian intelligence service. Broeksmit mysteriously disappeared after this - his car was found still running with the keys in the ignition. He was last seen alive in April 2021. 5. Ross Alderson – B.C. Casino Whistleblower Finally, we have Ross Alderson, an Australian native who resided in British Columbia, Canada. He was one of the people responsible for monitoring and putting an end to money laundering schemes in the Canadian province. While investigating the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC), Alderson became repeatedly concerned about the casino’s possible laundering. Even after retiring in 2017, Alderson was willing to help with the investigations in 2019 as he felt it was necessary. Despite his commitment, Alderson mysteriously vanished without a single clue as to his whereabouts. &nbsp;

The Demise of Popular Whistleblowers

Recent Posts

Categories

Get AnyTrivia in your inbox.