Whistleblower Goes from Convicted Felon to Government-Made Millionaire

Bradley Birkenfeld was released from federal prison in August 2012 after serving 2 1/2 years for his role as a Swiss banker hiding millions of dollars for wealthy American clients.
Five weeks later, he found himself in the kitchen of a small rental house in Raymond, New Hampshire. At that moment, Birkenfeld was an ex-con. He was out of work, infamous in a famously discreet profession, and probably unemployable as a private banker anywhere.
But then his lawyer walked into the room, carrying a check from the U.S. Treasury to Birkenfeld for $104 million—minus taxes. On the face was a picture of the Statue of Liberty.


Read more at the Fiscal Times