swiss intelligence: edward snowden met brad birkenfeld in geneve (drunk)

swiss intelligence: edward snowden met brad birkenfeld in geneve (drunk)

bo.bernerzeitung.ch

The Swiss article is in german and it needs google translate for an english version

(visit the link for the full news article)

Swiss intelligence suggests to swiss media that the banker met and made drunk by CIA in Geneve was Bradley Birkenfeld.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

Quote:

Whistleblowing and arrest

In 2007, Birkenfeld decided to tell the DOJ what he knew about UBS's practices. At the same time, he wanted to take advantage of a new federal whistleblower law that could pay him up to 30% of any tax revenue recouped by the IRS as a result of Birkenfeld's information. Birkenfeld also wanted immunity from prosecution for his part in UBS's transactions.[6] In April 2007, Birkenfeld's counsel sent the DOJ a summary of the Birkenfeld's information. The DOJ responded that it was not part of the IRS's whistleblower program and that it would not grant Birkenfeld immunity.[6]Nonetheless, Birkenfeld met with the DOJ. When communications between Birkenfeld and the DOJ stalled, Birkenfeld contacted the Securities and Exchange Commission, the IRS, and the U.S. Senate.[6] In April 2008, Birkenfeld's lawyers told the DOJ that he would assist the DOJ in return for immunity. One or two months later, Birkenfeld was arrested.[6][10] The DOJ's top tax lawyer said, "With regard to whistleblowers: those who seek to be treated as true whistleblowers need to know they must come in early and give complete and truthful disclosures.... Mr. Birkenfeld did not come in and give complete and truthful disclosures. Therefore, he is not entitled to whistleblower status."[10]In September 2012, the IRS Whistleblower Office awarded Birkenfeld $104 million as a whistleblower.[11][1][12] This award is one of the largest individual whistleblower payouts in history.[13] Birkenfeld received the award under the IRS whistleblower program, which gives informants a percentage of money the U.S. government recovers after fraud is found.[14] The IRS explained its decision by citing Birkenfeld’s “exceptional cooperation” and the “breadth and depth” of the information he provided, all of which led to “unprecedented actions” against UBS.[15] The IRS used the information to negotiate a $780 million settlement with UBS in 2009. Under that deal, UBS admitted to helping U.S. clients cheat on their taxes. The bank later turned over the names of nearly 5,000 U.S. clients suspected of tax evasion.[16] IRS amnesty programs have since collected $5 billion from people who participated in UBS’s illegal scheme based on the information provided by Birkenfeld

bo.bernerzeitung.ch
(visit the link for the full news article)

Sorry I'm confused, what does this have to do with Snowden?

Originally posted by TheCrimsonGhost
Sorry I'm confused, what does this have to do with Snowden?

Snowden was appalled about a CIA process / protocol of getting information from people. If I recall right, in the case with this (previously unnamed) banker, the CIA handlers got the banker drunk, and encouraged him to go home, driving drunk. I believe the handler then called the police on the drunk driver and lo and behold, the same CIA handler is at jail to bail out the banker and become friends -- in this case the banker was a whistleblower for secret swiss bank accounts.

I wonder if this banker is scared of the billionaires who got popped by the IRS because of his actions?

Originally posted by TheCrimsonGhost
Sorry I'm confused, what does this have to do with Snowden?

I was seriously confused by this also, but I did a little search and found an article that made more sense.

One "formative" incident occured around 2007, when the young technical analyst (Snowden) was working for the CIA under diplomatic cover in Geneva, Switzerland.

It involved a Swiss banker, as described in the Guardian:
CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information. Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help, and a bond was formed that led to successful recruitment.

businessinsider.com

So the way I'm reading that is, it is thought it was Brad Birkenfeld (the banking informant) that they setup on the drunk driving charge. Snowden was working for the CIA in Geneva and saw it go down. That's what turned him against the CIA/NSA/government.

Got it, thanks for making the connection, I get a little too lazy for research when I'm on my kindle in bed.

reply to post by pinkbirdatabase


I didn't read it entirely but the first thing it said was that Edward Snowden ALSO worked as "US diplomat in Geneva"...cheezus he is TWENTY NINE and I start to wonder if there is something this guy did NOT do in his past already.

So he had a major position at the NSA with "authority to virtually tap anyone"...plus was "US attache in Geneva....working for the UNO from 2007-2009"....when he was, like 23 years old? Gratz dude, I want to have your connections...

And he only had a GED?

reply to post by flexy123


Working for the UNO?
Swiss news are reporting that he had worked for CIA in Geneve as a computer expert in database security issues. I wonder about what kind of database the CIA is using in Geneve on Swiss servers?

We know that he is a computer expert. However, when i would work for CIA in a foreign country, then i am not there to secure a CIA database (this job i could do easier at home in Langley). In a foreign country, such an expert would be used to intrude computers and databases (of banks?, unicef?). Well, Who knows? IMHO he was used to access Swiss bank computers.If the bank servers are well protected then he would have to be there locally to find hardware leaks or bankers whom they could make drunk and/or preparing them for blackmailing them lateron.