Whistleblowing United Pilots Association

“Patriotism and Freedom of Speech in Action”

January 31, 2009

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

SUBJ: UNITED AIRLINES BANKRUPTCY CORRUPTION

Dear Mr. President,

On behalf of the Whistleblowing United Pilots Association, please allow me to extend our sincere congratulations and best wishes to you and Vice-President Biden on your tremendously successful political journey to the White House. Your elevation to the Oval Office is a much-welcomed breath of political fresh air and relief to the 300-million citizens of this great country at a time of grave political and economic peril. Well done, sir!

The Whistleblowing United Pilots Association is a national grassroots coalition comprised of employees and retirees from all airlines whose purpose is to help discover the truth regarding alleged white-collar criminality associated with post-9/11 airline bankruptcies and serve justice on the criminals who perpetrated these crimes. I serve as a public spokesperson for this group.

With your vision of hope and promise for change, which includes a greater openness in government, exposure of government fraud, waste, abuse, and corruption, including the untoward influence of K-Street lobbyist and Wall Street financial pressures, excessive executive compensation, and white-collar criminality, whose exposure is further enhanced through the strengthening of whistle blower protection laws, suffice it to say that you have the full support and cooperation of our association in achieving those lofty objectives in the future.

As you may or may not know, on November 16, 2006, I wrote to your senate office, as well as that of Senators Reid and Durbin, apprising you of the existence of available evidence in support of allegations of white-collar criminality in the United Airlines, Inc. and McCook Metals, LLC bankruptcies. Neither Senator Reid's nor Senator Durbin's office responded to this letter.

On May 14, 2007, Ms Joan Currie-Leonard, your Special Assistant in your Chicago senate office, responded to my a letter informing me that since I was not an Illinois resident and hence, not your constituent, congressional courtesy dictated that home state representatives be afforded the opportunity to respond to my concerns.

With the surfacing of significant additional federal criminal evidence, petition was been made to numerous branches of government, including relevant congressional committees and the Department of Justice, for political and legal intercession during this same time frame to no avail.

Given the unfolding events, and as a public spokesperson for the association, while realizing that I was not personally a member of your constituency, but spokesperson for the association, on October 24, 2007, a second letter was mailed to Ms Currie-Leonard, this time on behalf of the association membership that outlined the chronology of events surrounding these controversial legal and political issues.

Rather than expound, kindly review the enclosed letter for details. Once again, Ms Currie-Leonard responded as before deferring me to my home-state of Georgia Senator Saxby Chambliss, this in spite of the fact I had written to your office on behalf of members of the subject association, many of which reside in Illinois which, as you recognize, is the single largest employer in the state of Illinois.

On October 22, 2007, an unsolicited letter was received from Senator Chambliss acknowledging his awareness of criminal evidence associated with the United Airlines bankruptcy and his assurances that he would respond to me upon receipt of an answer to his Department of Justice inquiry, which he had recently made. But just 15 days later, on November 5, 2007, he sent me a letter advising that, “…as a U.S. Senator, have no jurisdiction over matters such as these.”

Because these matters had been stonewalled for so long by so many levels and branches of government including the Department of Justice, on October 18, 2007, I concurrently filed for whistle blower protection under the provisions of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 with letters of petition to Senator Carl Levin and Securities and Exchange Commissioner Christopher Cox. In subsequent discussions with Senator Levin's staff, I was advised that the issues could not be investigated due to staff shortages and committee focus on the overabundance of higher priority issues.

On February 14, 2008, I filed a federal complaint (#2008-9580) with the office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Chicago pending forthcoming evidence and witness testimony, which will be presented to this office shortly.

On January 29, 2008, frustrated by over a year lapsed time and no SEC response, coupled with the exposition of DOJ "deferred compensation agreements" by New York Times investigative journalist, Eric Lichtblau, described in his April 9, 2008 article, “In Justice Shift, Corporate Deals Replace Trials”, I wrote to H. David Kotz, the Security and Exchange Commission Inspector General, expressing my frustration and dismay over the lengthy delay of an appropriate SEC response, given that sufficient information, which included my sworn affidavit and other information, had been provided to warrant a preliminary investigation.

Very recently, letters were also sent to the Office of Inspector General at the Departments of Justice, Treasury, Transportation, and Labor, as well as to the Inspector General of the Social Security Administration on a tangentially relevant issue. Copies of these letters are enclosed for your perusal.

Given your recent elevation to the Oval Office with present jurisdiction over these departments of government, and in light of your proclamations concerning openness of government and diminishment of corruption in both the civil and federal sector, our association members are highly confident of your assurance of extensive investigations into these matters by the Inspector General of each department, and stand ready to fully support and cooperate with them in the future.

Last week, the Government Accountability Project office sent a letter of petition to your office asking your support of pending enhanced whistle blower protection legislation, which has been appended as an amendment to the Economic Stimulus Bill currently under debate in the Senate. You will note that my name/association appear as signatory toward the bottom of this document. It is because of my personal past abuse as a whistle blower on numerous counts, as well as the thousands of other unheard informants, that I strongly support passage of this legislation, as do members of the Whistleblowing United Pilots Association.

When individual whistle blowers garner the courage to step forth with criminal evidence, they do so with the hope and promise that laws will be upheld and the agencies assigned to enforce them will perform these duties, with the added personal safeguards provided by federal law.

As a Harvard Law graduate, teaching law at the University of Chicago, a U.S. Senator, and now President of the United States, I?m certain that we can agree that this is a nation of laws with time-honored established institutions of support. Over the course of the past eight years, we have observed the most disgraceful abuse and denigration of power of the U.S. Constitution in our nation?s history. Citizens want their Constitution and good government back. More so, they beg for the restoration of law and order that embraces the precepts of this sacred document.

We want to believe that Lady Justice is blind in the criminal prosecution of unlawful behavior in this country. Based on the frustrating past several years experiences of our association, we've come to believe this only to be the case with selective issues and individual cases. Kindly prove us wrong in this instance.

It is blatantly obvious to all that you are a good and loving family man, husband, and father. Please empathetically realize the horrific pain, sadness, familial maladies, and other hardships wrought on the good people of the airline industry during the post-9/11 bankruptcies which, as our membership asserts, were affected by alleged illicit means. In this regard alone, we beg for your understanding, cooperation and assistance.

Our association stands shoulder-to-shoulder with our president, ready, willing, and able to rout out the possible white-collar criminals who may have committed these crimes against airline employees who were willing to give the shirt off their backs to sustain the industry in the post-9/11 era. In the end, they did. Is this their reward for their sacrifices?

The Whistleblowing United Pilots Association membership sincerely wishes you, Michelle, Malia Anne, and Sasha much happiness and success during your stay at the White House. You've travelled a very long road in life to get there. Please reflect on the long career paths travelled by airline employees with hopes and dreams for a happy and successful retirement, only to realize them shattered in the eleventh hour of their careers, with nowhere else to turn for sustenance in the twilight years of life. It wasn't right.


Very respectfully,


Dan Hanley
Spokesperson – Whistleblowing United Pilots Association

Encl: Letter dated November 18, 2006 to Senators Reid, Durbin, and Obama
Letter dated May 4, 2007 from Ms. Joan Currie-Leonard
Letter dated October 24, 2007 to Ms. Joan Currie-Leonard
Letter dated October 22, 2007 from Senator Saxby Chambliss
Letter dated November 5, 2007 from Senator Saxby Chambliss
Letter dated November 6, 2007 from Ms. Joan Currie-Leonard
Letter dated October 18, 2007 to Christopher Cox, SEC Chairman
Letter dated October 18, 2007 to Senator Carl Levin
Letter dated January 25, 2009 to Calvin L. Scovel, DOT Inspector General
Letter dated January 28, 2009 to H. David Kotz, SEC Inspector General
Letter dated January 31, 2009 to Gordon S. Heddell, DOL Inspector General
Letter dated January 31, 2009 to Glenn A. Fine, DOJ Inspector General
Letter dated February 2, 2009 to Eric Thorson, Treasury Inspector General
Letter dated January 26, 2009 from Government Accountability Project Coalition

Cc: Calvin L. Scovell - Inspector General, Department of Transportation
H. David Kotz – Inspector General, Securities and Exchange Commission
Gordon S. Hedell – Inspector General, Department of Labor
Glenn A. Fine – Inspector General, Department of Justice
Eric Thorson – Inspector General, Department of Treasury
Tom Devine – Legal Director, Government Accountability Project
Whistleblowing United Pilots Association Membership

Please Click Here

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October 24, 2007

Ms. Joan Currie-Leonard

Special Assistant

Office of U.S. Senator Barack Obama

John C. Kluczynski Federal Building

230 South Dearborn Street, Suite 3900

Chicago, Illinois 60604

SUBJ: WHISTLEBLOWING UNITED PILOTS ASSOCIATION

Dear Ms. Currie-Leonard,

On November 18, 2006, an association joint letter was sent to Senators Reid, Durbin, and Obama petitioning their political help in investigating alleged white-collar criminal activity associated with the United Airlines bankruptcy. Although not a resident of Illinois, my purpose in writing merely served as the voice of the subject association.

The Whistleblowing United Pilots Association is somewhat of a misnomer in that it is an independent grassroots coalition of all airline employees and retirees from every airline across the nation whose purpose is to help discover the truth and serve justice on the white-collar criminals who perpetrated the crimes, which enabled the demise of post-9/11 airline employees and retirees in bankruptcy.

On May 4, 2007 you responded in writing that, since I was not a resident of the state of Illinois and hence, not one of Senator Obama’s constituents, that ‘Congressional courtesy dictates that the current federal senators and representatives be afforded the opportunity to respond to their constituents of the districts from which they were elected’.

On May 1, 2007, as one of his constituents, I received a personal letter from Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) offering political assistance in the investigation into my personal issue with the Federal Aviation Administration as to why previously submitted federally mandated reports had been stonewalled. Since the concerns and scope of the subject association extended far beyond my personal issues, and since previous attempts to address these issues with federal law enforcement officials had been ignored, it was felt unnecessary to pursue my issue with the help of Senator Chambliss at the time for the reasons stated herein.

Previously, on November 20, 2006, an association letter had been written to District Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald petitioning his office to investigate the available evidence surrounding said potential criminal activity in the United Airlines/McCook Metals bankruptcies. On December 11, 2006, a letter was received from his office with advisement that the office of Chicago FBI Director Robert Grant be contacted if there was any direct evidence of violations of federal law. At the time, it was known that former Chairman and CEO of McCook Metals LLC Michael Lynch had previously briefed both Mr. Fitzgerald and Mr.Grant on the evidence at hand, but needed federal witness protection for his informants in this case. This evidence and witness testimony is directly related to criminal activity in the United bankruptcy.

During this same time frame, with the congressional mid-term election results elevating key Democrats to key committee chair positions, association letters were sent to relevant chairmen addressing these very issues. Realizing that the Democratic party had the first 100-hour agenda and other pressing matters such as the firing of District Attorneys to deal with as well as a back log of other committee oversight issues to address (due to virtually no congressional oversight by the previous GOP-controlled committees), we patiently watched in hopes that eventually our association concerns would be addressed as well.

On April 1, 2007, an association letter was written to Chicago FBI Director Robert Grant inquiring as to why an investigation into the United/McCook bankruptcies had been suspended given the evidence/witnesses at hand. Additionally, it was suggested that perhaps top-level personnel within the Department of Justice were exerting undue pressure on District Attorneys in cases involving highly-sensitive political issues.

On May 16, 2007, a letter was received from the U.S. Department of Justice-FBI office advising that the letters had been received by the FBI Public Corruption Office (an administrative arm of the FBI) and had been forwarded to the FBI Atlanta field office. The Atlanta field offices never responded.

As a result of testimony by fired District Attorneys during the AG Gonzales hearings, it was surmised that undue political influence may have been exerted through key Department of Justice personnel on the actions of District Attorneys, so on September 1, 2007, an association letter was written to Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher-DOJ Criminal Division inquiring as to why federal witness protection and immunity from prosecution had not been afforded to informants in this case.

In early September, additional evidence surfaced that was uncovered by another grassroots organization, which supported allegations surrounding criminal activity in the United Airlines bankruptcy and was reported upon by two articles appearing on The Motley Fool website as authored by reporter Rich Duprey. This additional evidence implicitly suggests possible White House collusion, fraudulent accounting practices, securities fraud, nondisclosure of certain financial assets during the bankruptcy, fraudulent government loan application processes, a government appointee which involves a conflict of interest, and questionably legal agreements between United Airlines and the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation in the distress-termination of defined-benefit employee pensions.

On October 10, 2007, a letter was received from U.S. Representative Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) advising me that a local staff member in Georgia was contacting the U.S. Department of Justice regarding the September 1st letter to Asst AG Alice Fisher. As Mr. Lynch, his investigative team, others, and myself recognized certain unnamed legal and political forces being brought to bear upon us in other arenas, drastic measures had to be taken to protect ourselves and families, our evidence, and witnesses in an attempt to bring matters to legal and political light.

On October 18, 2007, I invoked the rights, privileges, and protections under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 in declaring myself a federal whistleblower on behalf of the employees and retirees of United Airlines. On October 19, letters were written on behalf of the subject association to the relevant congressional committee chairmen Senators Kennedy and Leahy and Congressmen Waxman, Conyers, and Miller advising them of the same while petitioning their committees to commence a congressional investigation into these matters. We are presently awaiting a response from their committee office staff.

Although I fully understand that since I personally am not a constituent of Senator Obama, he is a Democratic frontrunner for the office of President and currently represents his constituency in the state of Illinois. Since United Airlines, as one of the largest employers in the state has tens-of-thousands of employees who may have been illegally disenfranchised during the post-9/11 bankruptcy process, and since the Seventh Circuit Court system falls within their domains of influence and authority, it is hoped that both Senators Obama and Durbin will exercise such due authority and responsibility in vigorously supporting a prompt investigation into these criminal allegations.

The United States still has laws and law enforcement agencies, a criminal justice system, and a system of checks and balances governed in accordance with precepts established by our Constitution. The tax-paying citizens of this country demand that potential dysfunction of any branch of government be corrected by appropriate congressional oversight committee investigations and hearings.

There exists evidence, which suggests criminal activity that has yet to be investigated by the Department of Justice and other branches of government for whatever reasons. The employees and retirees of United Airlines want to know why this has not yet occurred.

Your cooperation and assistance in this matter is greatly appreciated by the many Illinois United Airlines workers and retirees, as well as the many other global members of the United family. We are merely being citizen-patriots attempting to uphold our Constitutional rights as citizens who pay taxes in demand of a fair and honest system of government.

Sincerely,

Dan Hanley

Encl: Letter dated October 18, 2007 to SEC Chairman Christopher Cox with attachments

Cc: Senator Ted Kennedy

Senator Patrick Leahy

Congressman Henry Waxman

Congressman John Conyers, Jr.

Congressman George Miller

Senator Richard Durbin

Please click here

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Whistleblowing United Pilots Association

“Patriotism and Freedom of Speech in Action”



February 12, 2009



Senator Johnny Isakson

120 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510


Senator Saxby Chambliss

416 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510


Congressman Lynn Westmoreland

1213 Longworth House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

SUBJ: FAA/SARBANES-OXLEY WHISTLE BLOWER

Gentlemen,

I write to you today as a courtesy and to ask for your political assistance, being one of your constituents residing in Newnan, Georgia. Recently I wrote to numerous politicians and law enforcement officials the enclosed letters of petition, which outline the matters that I present before you today as my congressional representatives. Without expounding, kindly have members of your staff review these letters.

For almost three years, members of the grassroots organization called the Whistleblowing United Pilots Association have been unsuccessful in our attempts to bring matters of alleged federal criminality to the attention of our government. It is specifically for this reason that I herein petition your good offices to assist us in our honest and noble efforts.

In late 2007, both Senator Chambliss and Congressman Westmoreland became briefly involved in this case in writing to then Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Keeney an unsolicited letter of inquiry on behalf of our association, but the response received from the Department of Justice was inadequate in that most of the issues previously addressed in a letter to then Department of Justice Assistant Attorney General Alice Fisher were not properly answered in Mr. Keeney’s letter response to me via your offices. I subsequently sent Mr. Keeney a follow-on letter that went unanswered by anyone within the Department of Justice. I have also enclosed these letters for your perusal.

On a personal basis, I am a legally and politically disenfranchised federal whistle blower whose rights as such have been denied on multiple counts. I am presently challenged to believe that this is still a nation of laws with government agencies empowered to enforce them, given the observed events of the past several years of my life. Although I fully recognize that you are currently encumbered by the many challenges facing our nation in this time of grave economic peril, I am nonetheless a tax-paying constituent residing in the state of Georgia and pray for your political intercession in this case.

When an individual citizen believes that he is of 'knowledge and information' that a federal crime has been committed, is it not his patriotic duty to present this information to appropriate federal authorities? Additionally, when this same individual fully believes that he is federally protected as a whistle blower by such legislation as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, is it not the patriotic duty of members of Congress to fully support this citizen in his performance of said duties? Due process of federal law has not been served in my case by the U.S. Congress, the Departments of Justice and Transportation, and the Securities and Exchange Commission, as well as others.

Please help me, gentlemen. I am currently an unprotected federal whistle blower and am seeking protection, advice, and political assistance in this regard.

I am currently affiliated with the Government Accountability Project (GAP) in Washington, DC, as well National Judicial Conduct and Disability Law Project, Inc., Poplar, Inc., numerous other legal/political organizations, investigative journalists/authors, and many others. I have recently petitioned the Georgia ACLU office for assistance also.

My name/organization recently appeared amongst 264 signatories on a GAP letter of petition to President Obama asking for his support to an amendment to the Economic Stimulus bill, whistle blower protection legislation that would enable me, as well as many others, enhanced due process protections for speaking out on federal criminality issues.

A full 98% of federal whistle blower cases that even reach the appellate level in this country are dismissed. Given the sorry state of the economy and the alleged devious criminality of white-collar criminals such as Bernie Madoff, does it not make sound legal, political, and economic sense to strengthen whistle blower laws so that the good citizens of this country feel enough confidence in government to be willing to bring forth 'knowledge and information' of federal criminality and corruption? Based on my own personal experiences, I recognize this to be a legal, political, and moral imperative if we, as a nation, are to ever right this rapidly sinking ship.

Congress can throw tens-of-trillion dollars at the economy, but until the underlying cancer is eradicated, which has metastasized to lethal proportions, we are doomed as a nation to repeat the gloomy past or worse. The walls of the fortress comprised of Wall Street money through K-Street lobbyist surrounding the DC beltway has grown so tall, particularly in the past several years, that the crying voices of ordinary tax-paying citizens are muffled by this ‘sound barrier’. I believe that Leona Helmsley had it right when she quipped that the ‘little people pay taxes’. Unfortunately, we the little people, do not feel that we are getting our maximum financial return on investment in government as enjoyed recently by Wall Street bankers.

With all due respect to your good offices, I pay taxes and demand appropriate government representation, response, and protection in this matter and will patiently await a reply from your office.

Very respectfully,

Dan Hanley

Spokesperson – Whistleblowing United Pilots Association

Encl: Letter dated October 22, 2007 from Senator Saxby Chambliss

Letter dated November 5, 2007 from Senator Saxby Chambliss

Letter dated December 5, 2007 from Congressman Westmoreland

Letter dated December 12, 2007 from DOJ Gerald Toner

Letter dated December 5, 2007 from Deputy Asst Attorney General John Keeney

Letter dated February 10, 2008 to Deputy Asst Attorney General John Keeney

Letter dated January 25, 2009 to Calvin L. Scovel, DOT Inspector General

Letter dated January 28, 2009 to H. David Kotz, SEC Inspector General

Letter dated January 31, 2009 to Gordon S. Heddell, DOL Inspector General

Letter dated January 31, 2009 to Glenn A. Fine, DOJ Inspector General

Letter dated February 2, 2009 to Eric Thorson, Treasury Inspector General

Letter dated January 31, 2009 to President Barack Obama

Letter dated February 2, 2009 to Robert Grant, Chicago FBI Special Agent-in-Charge

Letter dated February 6, 2009 to Attorney General Eric Holder

Letter dated February 7, 2009 to Debbie Seagraves, Executive Director - ACLU of Georgia

Letter dated January 26, 2009 from Government Accountability Project Coalition to President Obama

cc: President Barack Obama

Vice-President Joe Biden

Rahm Emanuel - Chief of Staff to the President

Calvin L. Scovell - Inspector General, Department of Transportation

H. David Kotz – Inspector General, Securities and Exchange Commission

Gordon S. Hedell – Inspector General, Department of Labor

Glenn A. Fine – Inspector General, Department of Justice

Eric Thorson – Inspector General, Department of Treasury

Rebecca Batts - Inspector General, Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation

Senator Patrick Leahy - Chairman, Senate Judiciary Committee

Senator Charles Grassley - Member, Senate Judiciary/Finance Committees

Senator Daniel Akaka - Chairman, Senate Government Management Committee

Senator Carl Levin - Chairman, Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations

Max Clellan - Former Democratic Senator from Georgia

Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA)

Congressman John Conyers, Jr. Chairman, House Judiciary Committee

Congressman Henry Waxman, Chairman, Government Oversight Committee

Congressman George Miller, Chairman, Health, Education, Labor, and Pension Committee

Rita Glavin - Acting Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division

Robert Mueller - FBI Director

Patrick Fitzgerald - District Attorney, Northern District of Illinois

Robert Grant - Chicago FBI, Special Agent-in-Charge

Mary Schapiro – SEC Chairman

Merri Jo Gillette - Chicago SEC, Regional Director

Eric Lichtblau - New York Times Investigative Journalist

Mary Williams-Walsh - New York Times Investigative Journalist

Jeff Bailey - New York Times Investigative Journalist

David Cay Johnston - Pulitzer Prize Winning Investigative Journalist/Author

Paul Krugman - New York Times Reporter/Nobel Laureate in Economics

Richard Duprey - Journalist, 'The Motley Fool'

John Perkins - Author

Jan Schwartz - CEO, Forensic Fraud Research, Inc.

Holly Hegeman - Editor, 'Plane Business'

Keith Olberman - NBC News Correspondent

Chris Matthews - NBC News Correspondent

Rachel Maddow - NBC News Correspondent

Lou Dobbs - CNN News Correspondent

Ed Schultz - Public Talk Radio Show Host

Michael Lynch - Associate

Tom Devine - Legal Director, Government Accountability Project

Members of the Whistleblowing United Pilots Association