Chapter 16 Part 2: The French Connection - Justice Across Borders
Birkenfeld spent years watching powerful people dodge consequences. In the second half of this chapter, he names names, visits Julian Assange, and tries to help one more whistleblower before it is too late.
The Hillary-Swiss Backroom Deal
Here is the setup. Obama wanted an Iran nuclear deal. The US had no direct relations with Iran since 1979. All diplomatic channels went through Switzerland. So when Birkenfeld blew the whistle on Swiss banking crimes, the Swiss had leverage. They reminded Hillary Clinton about the Iran favor, the millions donated to her foundation, and all the powerful Americans with secret Swiss accounts.
The result? A so-called “political solution.” The Swiss agreed to take two harmless Guantanamo prisoners and suspend one company selling nuclear parts to Iran. In exchange, they got off easy on the UBS scandal. A token number of tax evaders revealed. A fine smaller than Star Wars profits. Three hundred million Americans got screwed.
Tea With Julian Assange
How do we know all this? Julian Assange leaked a secret State Department cable that laid out the entire deal in black and white. Birkenfeld wanted to thank him personally.
He visited Assange at the Ecuadoran embassy in London. They searched him, took his phones, and led him upstairs. Assange was calm and friendly despite being stuck there since 2012. They swapped signed books. Then Birkenfeld asked the big question: why did Hillary keep that private email server at home?
“FOIA,” Assange said without hesitation. Freedom of Information Act. A private server meant no one could subpoena her documents. She could say or do anything and no government request could touch it.
Before leaving, Birkenfeld handed Assange an envelope of cash for his legal defense. On the way out, he flipped off the building across the street. He knew MI5 and CIA agents were watching from behind the curtains.
Settling Scores
Back home, Birkenfeld went after people who thought they were untouchable. Igor Olenicoff had paid $52 million in federal fines but falsely claimed Florida residency to dodge California state taxes. Birkenfeld’s legal team compiled a 700-page dossier proving Olenicoff actually lived in California. Result: $15 million more in state taxes.
Kevin Costner denied having a $20 million UBS account. His defense? “I wasn’t the star of Braveheart.” Birkenfeld had worked directly with Costner’s banker in Geneva. Leonard Lauder blamed his mother Estee’s account on fear of Nazis coming back. Neither denied the accounts existed. Both threatened to sue. Birkenfeld sued them first and wants their lawyers to cross-examine him in open court.
And Kevin Downing, the DOJ prosecutor who bungled the biggest tax case in history? He left government to become a private attorney defending tax cheats. His biggest client was Paul Manafort. He lost both cases.
One More Whistleblower
In late 2019, journalist Walt Pavlo called Birkenfeld about Keith Ablow, a former FOX TV psychiatrist. Ablow had hosted Hunter Biden at his home for three months. Biden left behind personal notes, diaries, and a laptop. Ablow wanted to blow the whistle.
Birkenfeld tried to get Ablow proper legal protection. Ablow kept blowing off meetings. On Valentine’s Day 2020, a DEA SWAT team raided Ablow’s home and took everything, including all the Hunter Biden materials. Birkenfeld had warned him it would go exactly like that.
The Bigger Picture
Birkenfeld closes the chapter with a call to action. He wants to build a whistleblower headquarters, a refuge for truth-tellers who risk their careers and safety to expose corruption. He points to Dr. Li Wenliang of Wuhan, silenced by Chinese authorities for warning about COVID-19, dead a month later.
The lesson is simple. Whistleblowers can save entire countries. Sometimes entire planets. But only if we listen to them and protect them instead of throwing them in prison.
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Part of the Lucifer’s Banker Uncensored series