He worked at the bank for twelve years before he copied,
The client list and the account data to a thumb drive,
He walked out on a regular afternoon and stopped it,
At the journalist doorstep with the information alive.
The whistleblower left with the evidence in hand,
The whistleblower broke the confidentiality strand,
The whistleblower gave the story to the light of day,
The whistleblower paid the price in every possible way.
He was prosecuted for the theft of client information,
He was sued in civil court by the bank and several clients,
He spent three years in legal proceedings and the nation,
Gave him very little of the credit for his defiance.
The information he provided led to prosecutions,
Of several clients and a settlement from the bank,
The fines were in the billions but the institutional solutions,
Changed very little in the fundamental rank.
I think about this man sometimes when I pay my taxes,
The man who risked his livelihood and freedom for the truth,
That the wealthy hide their money in the offshore axes,
While the rest of us pay up without a sleuth.