In 2010, Wells Fargo fired a whistleblower after he reported suspected fraud. The manager, who had previously received positive job performance appraisals, wasn’t able to find work in the banking industry after being punished for calling an ethics hotline. Wells Fargo had come under fire for illegal sales practices, admitting to creating as many as 2 million fake accounts. Almost half a dozen workers said they had been fired for flagging wrongdoing. In response, the Department of Labor ordered Wells Fargo to rehire the whistleblower they fired in 2010 and to cough up $5.4 million in back pay, damages and attorney fees for him and other workers who faced the same fate.
