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Lucifer’s Banker: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy
As a private banker working for the largest bank in the world, UBS, Bradley Birkenfeld was an expert in Switzerland’s shell-game of offshore companies and secret numbered accounts. He wined and dined ultrawealthy clients whose millions of dollars were hidden away from business partners, spouses, and tax authorities. As his client list grew, Birkenfeld lived a life of money, fast cars, and beautiful women, but when he discovered that UBS was planning to betray him, he blew the whistle to the US Government.
The Department of Justice scorned Birkenfeld’s unprecedented whistle-blowing and attempted to silence him with a conspiracy charge. Yet Birkenfeld would not be intimidated. He took his secrets to the US Senate, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service, where he prevailed.
His bombshell revelations helped the US Treasury recover over $15 billion (and counting) in back taxes, fines, and penalties from American tax cheats. But Birkenfeld was shocked to discover that at the same time he was cooperating with the US Government, the Department of Justice was still doggedly pursuing him. He was arrested and served thirty months in federal prison. When he emerged, the Internal Revenue Service gave him a whistle-blower award for $104 million, the largest such reward in history.
A page-turning real-life thriller, Lucifer’s Banker is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the secret Swiss high-net worth banking industry and a harrowing account of our government’s justice system. Readers will follow Birkenfeld and share his outrage with the incompetence and possible
corruption at the Department of Justice, and they will cheer him on as he “hammers” one of the most well-known and powerful banks in the world.
The Department of Justice scorned Birkenfeld’s unprecedented whistle-blowing and attempted to silence him with a conspiracy charge. Yet Birkenfeld would not be intimidated. He took his secrets to the US Senate, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service, where he prevailed.
His bombshell revelations helped the US Treasury recover over $15 billion (and counting) in back taxes, fines, and penalties from American tax cheats. But Birkenfeld was shocked to discover that at the same time he was cooperating with the US Government, the Department of Justice was still doggedly pursuing him. He was arrested and served thirty months in federal prison. When he emerged, the Internal Revenue Service gave him a whistle-blower award for $104 million, the largest such reward in history.
A page-turning real-life thriller, Lucifer’s Banker is a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the secret Swiss high-net worth banking industry and a harrowing account of our government’s justice system. Readers will follow Birkenfeld and share his outrage with the incompetence and possible
corruption at the Department of Justice, and they will cheer him on as he “hammers” one of the most well-known and powerful banks in the world.
330 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 30, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 102 reviews
November 8, 2018
I’m just going to come right out and say it: this book has a Grade 1 ick factor.
I want to burn this book. If I became a whistleblower and got awarded $104 million, I would spend it purchasing every copy of this book and burn them. And then print copies just to burn them again.
I hate this guy for so many reasons. He refers to himself as "a real American tax hero" with a straight face. More than once. He clearly sees himself as a badass Wild West gunslinger (the word "gunslinger" actually got used several time) - a daring, charismatic David taking on the Goliath of UBS.
Mind you, the only reason he blew the whistle was that his bosses were going to pin the fraud on him (and, after all, he WAS involved in the fraud). Not because he wanted to save American taxpayers (lol, he thinks the tax code is "fascist" because it taxes the wealthy so much). A saint, he ain't.
AND SO MODEST. Direct quote: “Armed with a big pair of cojones, financial smarts, and plenty of charm, I'd made millions of dollars [at the Swiss bank]."
And he’s so fucking entitled and so blind about that fact. He talks about how he always believed in the American justice system, and thought it was fair and righteous, until his own run-in with them.
Lol, you thought that? Really? And it took you, personally, being convicted (and released just 30 months later) to realize it? And he's white and was a multi-millionaire before he got arrested. Did it seriously never even occur to him that poor, black people were getting arrested for a reason other than justice?
Here is a very abbreviated catalog of the shitty things this man says:
1. He calls one of his ex-girlfriends (who is Brazilian) “exotic.” THIS IS SO WHITE AND CREEPY.
2. Direct quote; the only edit I made was toCAPS LOCK THE ABSURD PART: "We'd hop in my fire-red Ferrari 550 Maranello . . . my swiss chalet wasn't so special unless you're partial to magnums of Laurent-Perrier champagne, fresh beluga caviar, or boxes of Churchill cigars flown in from Havana. I guess it was nice if you like Swiss chocolates, Audemars Piguet watches, Brioni suits, and GORGEOUS GIRLS WHO CARE ONLY ABOUT PLEASING YOU."
Let. That. Sink. In. He lists HUMAN BEINGS like they are OBJECTS FOR HIS PLEASURE. Like they’re cigars or suits or GODDAMN FOOD.
3. He breaks up with his girlfriend when he gets a new job in another city, but he isn’t worried because he knows “the types of women” he’s going to meet and that he’ll “soon be over her.” Because, obviously, hot women are all exactly the same and you can just trade them in or upgrade as needed.
4. For Bradley Birkenfeld, men have “strong work ethics” or are “American heroes”--women have “beauty” or "sweetness" or, god forbid, "manners."
5. He played the orgasm scene of When Harry Met Sally when one of his coworkers locked down a deal, but "that only happened once—a lady in the office, of Middle East extraction, complained.” Sexist, elitist— I was getting worried we wouldn’t get racist in there, too!
6. He talks about how a lot of Jews died in the Holocaust but their money didn't, "to the benefit of Swiss banks." Please, sweet mother of Jesus, tell me that didn't really get printed in a real book.
7. His condo, worth millions, had a sign that read “Strong Ale and Loose Women” on the door.
8. Obviously, because it's Bradley Birkenfeld, he refers to a woman judge as a "Judge Judy-type." Simply no.
9. He refers to all women—and only women—as “my dear” and “darling." No men.
10. Especially his "beautiful young" assistant—who, he was quick to say, he “never touched”—“she was much too fine an assistant.” They “teased here and there, but it was always hands-off.” Puke. So you sexually harassed your employee? The worst part is, he genuinely seems to think he's a great guy for not putting hands on his employee. Bare minimum, Brad.
11. Every single woman who appears is defined by her appearance and little else. Literally, every fucking page we encounter a “beautiful” or “gorgeous” or “pretty” or “slim” or “provocative” or “sexy” woman, with a “slim body” or a “magnificent chest” or a “curvy figure” or “endless legs” or “Latina charm”. This guy is TRASH. Full stop.
It gets even worse when he tries to describe women he doesn't like. For instance, a woman who worked in the US Department of Justice, is described as “bulging from a Kmart brown suit, with tiny dark eyes and a permanent frown beneath a lifeless flat hairdo; she seemed dumb as a box of rocks.”
Later, she says to him, “You’re no whistleblower! You’re nothing but a tipster!”
In response, he thinks, Excuse me? Did we have some horrible one-night stand I don’t remember?
HE EVEN MANAGES TO SEXUALIZE SOMEONE HE HATES.
A short time later, she says something mockingly to him, and he goes, I was already thinking I’d like to dive over the table and choke the stupid bitch, but I ignored her. What a goddamn psychopath.
[He also later says the same woman is like her male colleague’s pet dog. FUCKER.]
12. “Ten girls are standing there, with comely smiles and manicured fingers on cocked hips. Mauro grins at me. ‘Choose anyone you want, Bradley. It’s all on me.’ It’s hard to choose. They’re all gorgeous and naked. So that’s why I couldn’t just walk away from [the fraud]. It was too much fun, and way too profitable."
I rest my case. Burn this book.
I want to burn this book. If I became a whistleblower and got awarded $104 million, I would spend it purchasing every copy of this book and burn them. And then print copies just to burn them again.
I hate this guy for so many reasons. He refers to himself as "a real American tax hero" with a straight face. More than once. He clearly sees himself as a badass Wild West gunslinger (the word "gunslinger" actually got used several time) - a daring, charismatic David taking on the Goliath of UBS.
Mind you, the only reason he blew the whistle was that his bosses were going to pin the fraud on him (and, after all, he WAS involved in the fraud). Not because he wanted to save American taxpayers (lol, he thinks the tax code is "fascist" because it taxes the wealthy so much). A saint, he ain't.
AND SO MODEST. Direct quote: “Armed with a big pair of cojones, financial smarts, and plenty of charm, I'd made millions of dollars [at the Swiss bank]."
And he’s so fucking entitled and so blind about that fact. He talks about how he always believed in the American justice system, and thought it was fair and righteous, until his own run-in with them.
Lol, you thought that? Really? And it took you, personally, being convicted (and released just 30 months later) to realize it? And he's white and was a multi-millionaire before he got arrested. Did it seriously never even occur to him that poor, black people were getting arrested for a reason other than justice?
Here is a very abbreviated catalog of the shitty things this man says:
1. He calls one of his ex-girlfriends (who is Brazilian) “exotic.” THIS IS SO WHITE AND CREEPY.
2. Direct quote; the only edit I made was toCAPS LOCK THE ABSURD PART: "We'd hop in my fire-red Ferrari 550 Maranello . . . my swiss chalet wasn't so special unless you're partial to magnums of Laurent-Perrier champagne, fresh beluga caviar, or boxes of Churchill cigars flown in from Havana. I guess it was nice if you like Swiss chocolates, Audemars Piguet watches, Brioni suits, and GORGEOUS GIRLS WHO CARE ONLY ABOUT PLEASING YOU."
Let. That. Sink. In. He lists HUMAN BEINGS like they are OBJECTS FOR HIS PLEASURE. Like they’re cigars or suits or GODDAMN FOOD.
3. He breaks up with his girlfriend when he gets a new job in another city, but he isn’t worried because he knows “the types of women” he’s going to meet and that he’ll “soon be over her.” Because, obviously, hot women are all exactly the same and you can just trade them in or upgrade as needed.
4. For Bradley Birkenfeld, men have “strong work ethics” or are “American heroes”--women have “beauty” or "sweetness" or, god forbid, "manners."
5. He played the orgasm scene of When Harry Met Sally when one of his coworkers locked down a deal, but "that only happened once—a lady in the office, of Middle East extraction, complained.” Sexist, elitist— I was getting worried we wouldn’t get racist in there, too!
6. He talks about how a lot of Jews died in the Holocaust but their money didn't, "to the benefit of Swiss banks." Please, sweet mother of Jesus, tell me that didn't really get printed in a real book.
7. His condo, worth millions, had a sign that read “Strong Ale and Loose Women” on the door.
8. Obviously, because it's Bradley Birkenfeld, he refers to a woman judge as a "Judge Judy-type." Simply no.
9. He refers to all women—and only women—as “my dear” and “darling." No men.
10. Especially his "beautiful young" assistant—who, he was quick to say, he “never touched”—“she was much too fine an assistant.” They “teased here and there, but it was always hands-off.” Puke. So you sexually harassed your employee? The worst part is, he genuinely seems to think he's a great guy for not putting hands on his employee. Bare minimum, Brad.
11. Every single woman who appears is defined by her appearance and little else. Literally, every fucking page we encounter a “beautiful” or “gorgeous” or “pretty” or “slim” or “provocative” or “sexy” woman, with a “slim body” or a “magnificent chest” or a “curvy figure” or “endless legs” or “Latina charm”. This guy is TRASH. Full stop.
It gets even worse when he tries to describe women he doesn't like. For instance, a woman who worked in the US Department of Justice, is described as “bulging from a Kmart brown suit, with tiny dark eyes and a permanent frown beneath a lifeless flat hairdo; she seemed dumb as a box of rocks.”
Later, she says to him, “You’re no whistleblower! You’re nothing but a tipster!”
In response, he thinks, Excuse me? Did we have some horrible one-night stand I don’t remember?
HE EVEN MANAGES TO SEXUALIZE SOMEONE HE HATES.
A short time later, she says something mockingly to him, and he goes, I was already thinking I’d like to dive over the table and choke the stupid bitch, but I ignored her. What a goddamn psychopath.
[He also later says the same woman is like her male colleague’s pet dog. FUCKER.]
12. “Ten girls are standing there, with comely smiles and manicured fingers on cocked hips. Mauro grins at me. ‘Choose anyone you want, Bradley. It’s all on me.’ It’s hard to choose. They’re all gorgeous and naked. So that’s why I couldn’t just walk away from [the fraud]. It was too much fun, and way too profitable."
I rest my case. Burn this book.
December 8, 2016
In the hands of a good journalist this could have been 5 star material. Author becomes investment banker, makes a killing in Switzerland helping US citizens evade taxes, whistleblows the whole thing, spends 3 years in jail, gets $100M reward from the IRS for the largest ever recovery of taxes.
Unfortunately the author spends the entire book trying to convince you that he's a rich angry douche bag, and it's nearly unreadable. I was begging the judge to put him away.
Unfortunately the author spends the entire book trying to convince you that he's a rich angry douche bag, and it's nearly unreadable. I was begging the judge to put him away.
April 8, 2021
Wary of writing a review since the author is both rich-as-fuck and highly litigious, but I guess I'll take the risk. I've also tried to review previous autobiographical books written by basically horrible people as judgments on the book and facts and not my opinions about the authors.
The book presents some of the internals of a portion of Swiss banking -- asset management in the "numbered accounts". Essentially, the author was a typical East Coast upper class prep school/liberal arts university kid who went into banking. He initially went to work for State Street in the FX department, then ratted them out for some misbehavior (for which no one was actually indicted, but he did drag them through the mud, including having literal clowns show up at a shareholder meeting -- facts aren't clear, but it's at least ambiguous what happened).
Somehow then due to stupidity on the part of European bankers, he was hired by Credit Suisse after doing a graduate business degree in Switzerland. At CS he did normal private banking stuff involving client relationship management and bringing new funds to the firm. One would have assumed more due diligence on the part of a Swiss bank here (hiring a former whistleblower/complainer is probably unwise for a private banking role...), but it was the 1990s and Google didn't exist then, and maybe they were desperate for hiring Americans. He apparently enjoyed the lifestyle in Geneva of a private banker (lots of income, expense account, travel, women, etc.). Then, UBS became desperate due to some scandal involving another banker departing their firm, and he was hired, again without much diligence, on terms which were vastly more generous than anyone in the bank traditionally received (a percentage of net new money brought into the firm.)
Somewhat predictably, he had problems with his boss and then his bonus wasn't paid promptly, at which point he decided to screw UBS and their clients, and even after receiving the bonus and continuing to receive lots of salary (and bonus, and perks) found a compliance-related document on their intranet site and took it to the US Government. He found that UBS had conflicted all the good corporate lawyers in DC, so he was forced to use two subpar lawyers, who proceeded to not prevent him from going to US DOJ and antagonizing them. There was some interaction between US DOJ and potentially incompetent or compromised government agents, UBS in various forms, and the author -- leading to lots of unpleasantness including federal congressional hearings, political intrigue, legal threats, the risk of Swiss prosecution, etc. (Most of what he did was explicitly against Swiss law, so he was trying to force a subpoena to be issued to him for the information by the US to make it compelled testimony as a defense against Swiss law.). It was an interesting tale, although the book obviously presents only one side of it, and the other sides are unlikely to ever be presented, as it's not in their interests to do so.
The descriptions of wealth and expenditures in banking were kind of repetitive, as were the repeated accounts of romantic conquests and world travels, but all were more interesting than the moralizing. It's interesting that the author suddenly became a super patriot against tax avoidance at exactly the time the bank (or rather, his boss at the bank) thought his exceptionally negotiated bonus was excessive, while apparently having no problem with this before that point. The technical security and other countermeasures taken by the bank, despite their lax personnel security procedures, seemed pretty incongruous, though.
There was a pretty amazing plot twist. All the muck-raking and whistleblowing led to some moderate punishment of UBS, as well as prison time for the author (3-4 years). Some public figures were burned (although those who came forward voluntarily were spared.). However, due to a conveniently-timed whistleblower statute, IRS paid him ~$75mm for his information (a percentage of taxes taken from UBS and its clients). So, he left federal prison wealthier than he would have been without this whole affair.
Scrutiny resulting from this, along with FBAR reporting requirements (and more recent FATCA requirements) are why US Citizens are prohibited from opening local bank accounts by many institutions around the world, especially smaller ones -- compliance costs for reporting, and risks, are not worth the revenues generated from these accounts. Not quite as bad as SEC keeping US investors safe from many of the world's best investments, but pretty inconvenient.
All in all, I think this book shows why Dante puts treachery in the 9th circle.
The book presents some of the internals of a portion of Swiss banking -- asset management in the "numbered accounts". Essentially, the author was a typical East Coast upper class prep school/liberal arts university kid who went into banking. He initially went to work for State Street in the FX department, then ratted them out for some misbehavior (for which no one was actually indicted, but he did drag them through the mud, including having literal clowns show up at a shareholder meeting -- facts aren't clear, but it's at least ambiguous what happened).
Somehow then due to stupidity on the part of European bankers, he was hired by Credit Suisse after doing a graduate business degree in Switzerland. At CS he did normal private banking stuff involving client relationship management and bringing new funds to the firm. One would have assumed more due diligence on the part of a Swiss bank here (hiring a former whistleblower/complainer is probably unwise for a private banking role...), but it was the 1990s and Google didn't exist then, and maybe they were desperate for hiring Americans. He apparently enjoyed the lifestyle in Geneva of a private banker (lots of income, expense account, travel, women, etc.). Then, UBS became desperate due to some scandal involving another banker departing their firm, and he was hired, again without much diligence, on terms which were vastly more generous than anyone in the bank traditionally received (a percentage of net new money brought into the firm.)
Somewhat predictably, he had problems with his boss and then his bonus wasn't paid promptly, at which point he decided to screw UBS and their clients, and even after receiving the bonus and continuing to receive lots of salary (and bonus, and perks) found a compliance-related document on their intranet site and took it to the US Government. He found that UBS had conflicted all the good corporate lawyers in DC, so he was forced to use two subpar lawyers, who proceeded to not prevent him from going to US DOJ and antagonizing them. There was some interaction between US DOJ and potentially incompetent or compromised government agents, UBS in various forms, and the author -- leading to lots of unpleasantness including federal congressional hearings, political intrigue, legal threats, the risk of Swiss prosecution, etc. (Most of what he did was explicitly against Swiss law, so he was trying to force a subpoena to be issued to him for the information by the US to make it compelled testimony as a defense against Swiss law.). It was an interesting tale, although the book obviously presents only one side of it, and the other sides are unlikely to ever be presented, as it's not in their interests to do so.
The descriptions of wealth and expenditures in banking were kind of repetitive, as were the repeated accounts of romantic conquests and world travels, but all were more interesting than the moralizing. It's interesting that the author suddenly became a super patriot against tax avoidance at exactly the time the bank (or rather, his boss at the bank) thought his exceptionally negotiated bonus was excessive, while apparently having no problem with this before that point. The technical security and other countermeasures taken by the bank, despite their lax personnel security procedures, seemed pretty incongruous, though.
There was a pretty amazing plot twist. All the muck-raking and whistleblowing led to some moderate punishment of UBS, as well as prison time for the author (3-4 years). Some public figures were burned (although those who came forward voluntarily were spared.). However, due to a conveniently-timed whistleblower statute, IRS paid him ~$75mm for his information (a percentage of taxes taken from UBS and its clients). So, he left federal prison wealthier than he would have been without this whole affair.
Scrutiny resulting from this, along with FBAR reporting requirements (and more recent FATCA requirements) are why US Citizens are prohibited from opening local bank accounts by many institutions around the world, especially smaller ones -- compliance costs for reporting, and risks, are not worth the revenues generated from these accounts. Not quite as bad as SEC keeping US investors safe from many of the world's best investments, but pretty inconvenient.
All in all, I think this book shows why Dante puts treachery in the 9th circle.
December 2, 2016
A tell all story by a former American banker who worked for the Swiss bank UBS. The information he provided broke the Swiss banks secrecy and made it possible for the US Government to obtain previously withheld banking information for US citizens. Although he was prosecuted, and served prison time, he was given a whistle blower reward over $104 million based on the amount of taxes collected by the IRS. Should he have been sentenced to prison? That is up to each reader to decide after reading the book. I found some of the names mentioned to be eye-openers but not surprising.
I enjoyed the book and do not believe that he should have been sentenced to prison. I have rated it 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a look behind the scenes at what has happened in the past and more than likely will continue to happen in the future.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.
I enjoyed the book and do not believe that he should have been sentenced to prison. I have rated it 5 stars and highly recommend it to anyone who wants to have a look behind the scenes at what has happened in the past and more than likely will continue to happen in the future.
I received an ARC from Netgalley for my unbiased review.
October 27, 2021
A tell-all that tell about zilch. It's probably a new thing: tell-nothing.
March 2, 2017
Nothing more than a vanity project
Hugely disappointing book that I was really looking forward to reading. Instead of giving inside info on the inner workings of Swiss banking and the fraud associated with it we get a nonstop rant by a guy who seems every bit as unlikable as the criminals he exposed. So much of this book really seems shallow and incoherent so don't make same mistake I made and buy it thinking it will be one of those great inside story expose. The hypocrisy of the author it's pretty repulsive and just adds to the disappointment that this nonstop angry rant of a book turned out to be.
Hugely disappointing book that I was really looking forward to reading. Instead of giving inside info on the inner workings of Swiss banking and the fraud associated with it we get a nonstop rant by a guy who seems every bit as unlikable as the criminals he exposed. So much of this book really seems shallow and incoherent so don't make same mistake I made and buy it thinking it will be one of those great inside story expose. The hypocrisy of the author it's pretty repulsive and just adds to the disappointment that this nonstop angry rant of a book turned out to be.
December 17, 2023
Hard to get through this because, good grief this guy is an ass. Not wrong in much of his cynicism about how the rich and powerful go unpunished and the hypocrisy of law enforcement and the justice system ..but I couldn't can't get past that he is so arrogant, self-entitled, slimy, and full of himself to join him in his indignation.
March 5, 2017
Lucifer’s Banker by Bradley Birkenfeld (3 Stars)
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This tell-all tale of Swiss banking and tax evasion by the super-wealthy is written in the same vein as Frank Abagnale’s Catch Me If You Can. You need to get past the author’s arrogance (and, wow, there’s a lot of that!), self-serving interests and smarter than thou attitude and just take in the story. At the beginning, I was ready to just give up as the author is so pretentious and pompous, but then I realized that if he hadn’t been, there wouldn’t be a story after all because “normal” people don’t behave in such a manner.
Birkenfeld is a banker working for UBS in Switzerland, living a life of luxury. He’s happy to do so, and makes no apologies for breaking the rules. It’s what keeps him in the cars, watches and jet-setting lifestyle he craves. However, once he realizes he may be the fall guy, he turns whistleblower. Birkfenfeld was later prosecuted and spent time in a low-security prison. After his release, he received a $104 million reward, which was a percentage of the taxes the IRS was ultimately able to collect.
Read the story and you be the judge. Did he deserve prison time? Did he deserve a reward for his dirty deeds? What about the U.S. judicial system and corruption? Politics and its machinations?
I can see this being a movie soon.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.
This tell-all tale of Swiss banking and tax evasion by the super-wealthy is written in the same vein as Frank Abagnale’s Catch Me If You Can. You need to get past the author’s arrogance (and, wow, there’s a lot of that!), self-serving interests and smarter than thou attitude and just take in the story. At the beginning, I was ready to just give up as the author is so pretentious and pompous, but then I realized that if he hadn’t been, there wouldn’t be a story after all because “normal” people don’t behave in such a manner.
Birkenfeld is a banker working for UBS in Switzerland, living a life of luxury. He’s happy to do so, and makes no apologies for breaking the rules. It’s what keeps him in the cars, watches and jet-setting lifestyle he craves. However, once he realizes he may be the fall guy, he turns whistleblower. Birkfenfeld was later prosecuted and spent time in a low-security prison. After his release, he received a $104 million reward, which was a percentage of the taxes the IRS was ultimately able to collect.
Read the story and you be the judge. Did he deserve prison time? Did he deserve a reward for his dirty deeds? What about the U.S. judicial system and corruption? Politics and its machinations?
I can see this being a movie soon.
https://candysplanet.wordpress.com/
March 21, 2017
It is nigh-on impossible to like Bradley Birkenfeld. I almost quit reading his book more than once, because I really could not stand him. He comes across as vapid, self-centered, self-aggrandizing, juvenile, sexist and, frankly, dumb. His favorite topic, right through the book, is his good self. The way he sees it, the world revolves around him. And it largely consists of cars, cigars, legs and swimming pools.
More damningly, and for all the talk about right and wrong, the impression I came away with from the book is that the original motivation Birkenfeld had to blow the whistle on UBS was to humiliate his former boss. If you’re wondering who the “Lucifer” is who gave his name to the book, that’s Bradley Birkenfeld’s supervisor at UBS, which is what makes the author “Lucifer’s Banker.” Lucifer is some private banker in Switzerland, it turns out. Eat your heart out, Robert deNiro.
The heroic acts recounted here include giving up to the US government the list of all clients who entrusted him with their secrets, often as a result of his having made the first approach. And the man shows no style whatsoever when he gloats that his estranged client’s son died. He even quips something about death and taxes that left a terrible taste in my mouth.
Guess what, folks, the guy is a total saint if you compare him with the system he foolishly decided to confront (and naively thinks he has beaten) and I spent the last one third of the book cheering for him with everything I had.
GO BRAD!
If you want to understand how the justice system goes about meting out justice, if you want to get into the head of a DOJ investigator and understand his motivations, if you did not know how Eric Holder earned his wings (or if you have any doubts about how his current “investigation” of Uber will go), if you need to understand what “revolving door” means between the justice system and the wealthier members of the private sector, if you’d like a glimpse of the head-of-state level of quid-pro-quo between the US and Switzerland, if you want to know who Obama was playing golf with as the judge was sending Birkenfeld to the slammer for three years, it’s all here. It really is.
And it’s damning and devastating, of course.
So after having spent most of the book thinking to myself “this woman you just talked about, please please don’t tell me if you slept with her,” or “I really don’t care if your friend has a helicopter,” I spent the last bit dying to hear how he dealt with the low-life prosecutor from the DoJ, marvelling at how he put the jail guards in their place, trembling that somebody would hurt him and cheering for him when he got his just reward. At the end of the day, the man’s a fighter and he took on a rigged system and, much as he did it for himself, he also did it for all of us. Bravo!
In truth, there could not possibly have been a better author for this book. It is by dint of having been delivered by so distasteful a messenger (and, for all his protestations to the contrary, so tangential a messenger: 20 billion is nothing compared to the 5-10 trillion that’s hiding beyond the taxman's reach) that this indictment of our system brings home the message loud and clear:
The fish stinks from the head.
More damningly, and for all the talk about right and wrong, the impression I came away with from the book is that the original motivation Birkenfeld had to blow the whistle on UBS was to humiliate his former boss. If you’re wondering who the “Lucifer” is who gave his name to the book, that’s Bradley Birkenfeld’s supervisor at UBS, which is what makes the author “Lucifer’s Banker.” Lucifer is some private banker in Switzerland, it turns out. Eat your heart out, Robert deNiro.
The heroic acts recounted here include giving up to the US government the list of all clients who entrusted him with their secrets, often as a result of his having made the first approach. And the man shows no style whatsoever when he gloats that his estranged client’s son died. He even quips something about death and taxes that left a terrible taste in my mouth.
Guess what, folks, the guy is a total saint if you compare him with the system he foolishly decided to confront (and naively thinks he has beaten) and I spent the last one third of the book cheering for him with everything I had.
GO BRAD!
If you want to understand how the justice system goes about meting out justice, if you want to get into the head of a DOJ investigator and understand his motivations, if you did not know how Eric Holder earned his wings (or if you have any doubts about how his current “investigation” of Uber will go), if you need to understand what “revolving door” means between the justice system and the wealthier members of the private sector, if you’d like a glimpse of the head-of-state level of quid-pro-quo between the US and Switzerland, if you want to know who Obama was playing golf with as the judge was sending Birkenfeld to the slammer for three years, it’s all here. It really is.
And it’s damning and devastating, of course.
So after having spent most of the book thinking to myself “this woman you just talked about, please please don’t tell me if you slept with her,” or “I really don’t care if your friend has a helicopter,” I spent the last bit dying to hear how he dealt with the low-life prosecutor from the DoJ, marvelling at how he put the jail guards in their place, trembling that somebody would hurt him and cheering for him when he got his just reward. At the end of the day, the man’s a fighter and he took on a rigged system and, much as he did it for himself, he also did it for all of us. Bravo!
In truth, there could not possibly have been a better author for this book. It is by dint of having been delivered by so distasteful a messenger (and, for all his protestations to the contrary, so tangential a messenger: 20 billion is nothing compared to the 5-10 trillion that’s hiding beyond the taxman's reach) that this indictment of our system brings home the message loud and clear:
The fish stinks from the head.
July 16, 2018
Oh my. Rarely have I so strongly disliked an author after only a few pages. And yet, despite that, I found it an interesting read. Perhaps because it reinforced my stereotype of Switzerland:: fast cars, fast women, fast fortunes, all fueled by dirty money. While a visit to Geneva has disabused me of this prejudice, that’s the kind of life Birkenfeld chose for himself. He likes to portray himself as a whistleblower who defied powerful institutions to protect the people, but he discovered his ethical scruples only after those institutions turned on him. His motive appears to be revenge rather than justice. He has the support of a fiercely loyal family, yet he apparently feels no loyalty to friends, coworkers and clients, using them when it suits his purpose. He uses all his considerable sales skills to persuade a client to come on board, then turns them into the authorities when the wind shifts.
December 31, 2017
Used 25% rule and dropped this book. Skimmed through the remaining 75% to get to the end. Good for him that he got reward, he deserves it but book is written very badly and it doesn't help that guy is narcissistic snob. If you can't root for the central character then there is no hope. When I took the book all I wanted to know was how Swiss handle their bank affairs and secrecy, intricate relationship with IRS. from private bankers perspective if he would have gone much deeper into his emotional side and conscience it would have been far more enjoyable Instead, all we get is his flashy lifestyle and repeated reference of his fighting spirit thanks to his 4 years in private military school. Book has literally no depth, even quotes are only from movies which only state things with style, no deeper meaning, nothing. Every line in the book feels like a B grade over the top movie.
March 7, 2023
Interesting but…
This was an interesting book, but I am glad I was listening for free with Audible Plus. I am all for whistleblowers, but unfortunately I did not warm to the author who was at the centre of the story. Frankly I found him pompous and chauvinistic, to the point where I almost stopped listening, but stuck with it to hear what happened. It’s his book and he has the right to be himself and say what he wants, so I’m not in a position to criticize, but you just might find he gets on your nerves too.
This was an interesting book, but I am glad I was listening for free with Audible Plus. I am all for whistleblowers, but unfortunately I did not warm to the author who was at the centre of the story. Frankly I found him pompous and chauvinistic, to the point where I almost stopped listening, but stuck with it to hear what happened. It’s his book and he has the right to be himself and say what he wants, so I’m not in a position to criticize, but you just might find he gets on your nerves too.
May 26, 2023
The topic was interesting, especially learning about the enormous scope of tax evasion that takes place in the US and most importantly how many people and law firms engage in abetting tax evasion along with the complicity of some in the US government. But the author comes across as if his main motivation to blow the whistle on UBS was to humiliate his former boss. His arrogance, materialism, womanizing assertions and selfcentered attitude was hard to cope with while reading the book.
May 6, 2026
Genuinely one of the worst books I’ve read in my entire life. I cannot think of a single person who I would recommend this to. The autobiography is written by the most selfish, self absorbed, misogynistic man to walk this earth. No wonder I found this book on the $1 shelf at a local bookstore. I've never left a book unfinished, but with 100 pages left I had to close it because it felt truly torturous to turn one more page.
December 21, 2019
The book seems like a very subjective take and I have no time to dig deeper. Birkenfeld claims to have brought UBS to its knees by blowing the whistle on their recruitment of and banking practices for wealthy American clients hiding assets from the IRS. I don’t know if others were involved. Birkenfeld does a great job of simplifying the process and the players. Since UBS settled with the USG, I don’t believe citizens in rule of law countries can hide their assets in Switzerland like they used to. That was a very big deal. UBS encouraged and trained their Private Wealth Managers to hook Americans and get them to park their assets with UBS in order to extract fees. Then UBS hid a document in their intranet that Birkenfeld’s colleague accidently found forbidding USB employees from engaging in those very practices. According to Birkenfeld, that’s when he decided to blow the whistle, when he figured out UBS would hang him out to dry if he or they ever got caught. He also holds grudges so that could have motivated him as well. Unfortunately, he took his complaint first to the US DoJ. They were not eager to prosecute. Probably because friends, and friends of friends, of high-level DoJ staff did business with UBS. DoJ eventually sends Birkenfeld to prison for his efforts. Birkenfeld believes he should have been protected with immunity and because he resided in Switzerland while he worked for UBS, thereby beholden to Swiss law, not US law. As calculating as he is, I don’t understand why Birkenfeld tried to work with DoJ without immunity. He seems to have outmaneuvered his lawyers at every turn so they can’t be solely blamed. It was a crazy risk to take even for a high-risk, ample-ego kind of guy. In the meantime, Birkenfeld goes to Congress where hearings are called resulting in huge fines and tax payments. The IRS give Birkenfeld $104m reward after he is released from prison and he lives happily ever after. He’s lucky he stayed away from Russian high-worth clients!
Fun facts
A friend of Rudy Giuliani was a big client of Birkenfeld’s. The boss of Birkenfeld’s DoJ contact (the foot dragger) went to work for Giuliani’s law firm during the hearing period.
Birkenfeld convincingly illustrates how Sec State Hillary Clinton helped mitigate UBS penalties in exchange for favors.
Fun facts
A friend of Rudy Giuliani was a big client of Birkenfeld’s. The boss of Birkenfeld’s DoJ contact (the foot dragger) went to work for Giuliani’s law firm during the hearing period.
Birkenfeld convincingly illustrates how Sec State Hillary Clinton helped mitigate UBS penalties in exchange for favors.
March 20, 2026
So cool! So glad Kenzie showed me this! It opened up a whole new world that I really knew nothing about, I loved how honest it was through the misdeeds and the whistle blowing process. He definitely lets his ego show towards the end but really insightful into how much money governments are screwed from through Swiss banking!
December 1, 2016
Lucifer's Banker: The Untold Story of How I Destroyed Swiss Bank Secrecy by Bradley C. Birkenfeld is a recommended account of how one man took on the Swiss banking industry.
Working his way up in the banking industry, Bradley Birkenfeld was a success. He lived and worked in Switzerland as a private banker for the largest bank in the world, UBS. UBS specialized in providing the ultrawealthy the way to hide their money, especially from paying taxes. Birkenfeld knew how the game worked, with its secret numbered accounts and the tactics used to make sure their clients could have access to their millions with no penalties.
It came to his attention that UBS had buried deep in the bank's files an official policy in place to cover their backs if any government came asking about taxes. Birkenfeld realized that the policy would throw him and his co-workers under the bus while protecting the bank and the managers. That was when he decided to take matters into his own hands and blow the whistle himself, telling the US government how the Swiss banking industry worked.
Birkenfeld brought his information to the Department of Justice first and was treated like he was wasting their time. The part about the Department of Justice is going to anger you, but it shouldn't really, given current events. It is no longer about justice but political maneuvering, Washington insiders, and cronyism. When Birkenfeld took his secrets to the US Senate, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service, he was finally taken seriously and action was taken.
Then, and this presents a perfect example of why the Department of Justice needs to be gutted and overhauled: "at the same time he was cooperating with the US Government, the Department of Justice was still doggedly pursuing him. He was arrested and served thirty months in federal prison." Birkenfeld writes: "The US Department of Justice was supposed to welcome me, protect me, thank me for being the first and only Swiss private banker to crack that impenetrable shell of Swiss secrecy and corruption, to ensure that American taxpayers would be cheated no more. But instead, the DOJ had reached out for my treasure trove with one slimy hand, and slapped cuffs on me with the other. Scumbags."
But Birkenfeld got the last laugh. "When he emerged, the Internal Revenue Service gave him a whistle-blower award for $104 million, the largest such reward in history." This is a fascinating account of inside the secret Swiss banking industry and our government’s justice system.
Lucifer's Banker is written in a conversational style as if Birkenfeld was sitting down with you telling his life's story. It does have rather a 007 feel to it, which is alluded to several times.
I guess the biggest problem for me, as a female reviewer, is it is also a bit too chauvinistic. There is a sexist boy's club vibe reflected in comments throughout the book - like older 007 movies - and numerous times beautiful "girls" are mentioned as sex objects and play things. Comments like "gorgeous girls who care only about pleasing you and having a great time" and this not-very-amusing-to-me story: "I’d decided to take a companion along. Marketa was a bar hostess in Prague—tall, slim, pretty, and just turned twenty-two. She’d never been to the United States, so my invitation to fly business class, party in Hollywood, and then see some hot lava put a smile on her face. She was a sweet girl, innocent in many ways, and she gasped when I booked us into the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Did we have a good time? Let’s just say there’s nothing quite like gratitude sex. I called her my 'Czech Mate,' which she didn’t get, but I amused myself."
Not so cool. Not so amusing.
So, in the end this is an interesting book and a riveting account about whistle blowing on the Swiss banking industry and corruption in the Department of Justice. It's also written, in my opinion, for male readers or stories like the one above, and there are more than one, would have been left out. To reflect this I left a star out and lowered my rating. It would be a much better book had the stories of sexual escapades been left out and Birkenfeld concentrated on telling us the important facts with some measure of acknowledgment that women who were not interested in "gratitude sex" would be reading the book too.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.
Working his way up in the banking industry, Bradley Birkenfeld was a success. He lived and worked in Switzerland as a private banker for the largest bank in the world, UBS. UBS specialized in providing the ultrawealthy the way to hide their money, especially from paying taxes. Birkenfeld knew how the game worked, with its secret numbered accounts and the tactics used to make sure their clients could have access to their millions with no penalties.
It came to his attention that UBS had buried deep in the bank's files an official policy in place to cover their backs if any government came asking about taxes. Birkenfeld realized that the policy would throw him and his co-workers under the bus while protecting the bank and the managers. That was when he decided to take matters into his own hands and blow the whistle himself, telling the US government how the Swiss banking industry worked.
Birkenfeld brought his information to the Department of Justice first and was treated like he was wasting their time. The part about the Department of Justice is going to anger you, but it shouldn't really, given current events. It is no longer about justice but political maneuvering, Washington insiders, and cronyism. When Birkenfeld took his secrets to the US Senate, the Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Internal Revenue Service, he was finally taken seriously and action was taken.
Then, and this presents a perfect example of why the Department of Justice needs to be gutted and overhauled: "at the same time he was cooperating with the US Government, the Department of Justice was still doggedly pursuing him. He was arrested and served thirty months in federal prison." Birkenfeld writes: "The US Department of Justice was supposed to welcome me, protect me, thank me for being the first and only Swiss private banker to crack that impenetrable shell of Swiss secrecy and corruption, to ensure that American taxpayers would be cheated no more. But instead, the DOJ had reached out for my treasure trove with one slimy hand, and slapped cuffs on me with the other. Scumbags."
But Birkenfeld got the last laugh. "When he emerged, the Internal Revenue Service gave him a whistle-blower award for $104 million, the largest such reward in history." This is a fascinating account of inside the secret Swiss banking industry and our government’s justice system.
Lucifer's Banker is written in a conversational style as if Birkenfeld was sitting down with you telling his life's story. It does have rather a 007 feel to it, which is alluded to several times.
I guess the biggest problem for me, as a female reviewer, is it is also a bit too chauvinistic. There is a sexist boy's club vibe reflected in comments throughout the book - like older 007 movies - and numerous times beautiful "girls" are mentioned as sex objects and play things. Comments like "gorgeous girls who care only about pleasing you and having a great time" and this not-very-amusing-to-me story: "I’d decided to take a companion along. Marketa was a bar hostess in Prague—tall, slim, pretty, and just turned twenty-two. She’d never been to the United States, so my invitation to fly business class, party in Hollywood, and then see some hot lava put a smile on her face. She was a sweet girl, innocent in many ways, and she gasped when I booked us into the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills. Did we have a good time? Let’s just say there’s nothing quite like gratitude sex. I called her my 'Czech Mate,' which she didn’t get, but I amused myself."
Not so cool. Not so amusing.
So, in the end this is an interesting book and a riveting account about whistle blowing on the Swiss banking industry and corruption in the Department of Justice. It's also written, in my opinion, for male readers or stories like the one above, and there are more than one, would have been left out. To reflect this I left a star out and lowered my rating. It would be a much better book had the stories of sexual escapades been left out and Birkenfeld concentrated on telling us the important facts with some measure of acknowledgment that women who were not interested in "gratitude sex" would be reading the book too.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the publisher/author.
December 29, 2016
Review originally published at Book of Bogan.
Lucifer's Banker is an insider's look at the world of high finance, Swiss bank accounts, and tax evasion by the rich and infamous. The author is a whistleblower who formerly worked for a number of Swiss, and European banks before blowing the whistle on them, and their American clients - a decision which would backfire on him in the short-term.
I must admit a slight fascination with the mythology of the 'Swiss unnumbered bank account' - and I had not heard the author before reading this book, so I was not aware of the history of his case. I will confess that I went through a rollercoaster of emotion towards the author - at first I was sympathetic towards him, given what he - on the face of it anyway - was trying to do by bringing the evidence of gross tax evasion to the government, only to have them turn on him and send him to prison. The US does not have a particularly good track record of how it treats whistleblowers - from Julian Assange, to Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden - but I wasn't sure I would put Bradley Birkenfeld in the same category.
The author spends a great deal of time revelling in the vainglory of his lifestyle as a Swiss banker, with its attendant jet setting lifestyle and wealth, and makes little effort to endear himself to the reader. I questioned his motivations for ultimately turning whistleblower, which seemed to be that his employers were trying to set he and his colleagues up for illegal or illicit institutional practices, and he wasn't going to take the fall for it. Frankly the middle third of the book is given over to crying 'poor me' while he is let down by his lawyers and his government, and I just didn't care a feather or a fig. Although he did get sent to jail, he ultimately got his 'revenge' if you wish.
I had some really mixed emotions about this book - I don't think it was as detailed about the inner workings of the banking system as I had hoped, and felt like little more than a puff piece about how amazing the author believes he is, and how through corrupt officials, the government screwed him over.
I really struggle to recommend an audience for this book - I guess if you had more of an interest in whistleblowers, or the banking sector - you may find this interesting, but this is definitely a rose-tinted autobiography that will probably leave you hating the author. I think it lacks a certain objectivity that I was looking for in a subject like this.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Lucifer's Banker is an insider's look at the world of high finance, Swiss bank accounts, and tax evasion by the rich and infamous. The author is a whistleblower who formerly worked for a number of Swiss, and European banks before blowing the whistle on them, and their American clients - a decision which would backfire on him in the short-term.
I must admit a slight fascination with the mythology of the 'Swiss unnumbered bank account' - and I had not heard the author before reading this book, so I was not aware of the history of his case. I will confess that I went through a rollercoaster of emotion towards the author - at first I was sympathetic towards him, given what he - on the face of it anyway - was trying to do by bringing the evidence of gross tax evasion to the government, only to have them turn on him and send him to prison. The US does not have a particularly good track record of how it treats whistleblowers - from Julian Assange, to Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden - but I wasn't sure I would put Bradley Birkenfeld in the same category.
The author spends a great deal of time revelling in the vainglory of his lifestyle as a Swiss banker, with its attendant jet setting lifestyle and wealth, and makes little effort to endear himself to the reader. I questioned his motivations for ultimately turning whistleblower, which seemed to be that his employers were trying to set he and his colleagues up for illegal or illicit institutional practices, and he wasn't going to take the fall for it. Frankly the middle third of the book is given over to crying 'poor me' while he is let down by his lawyers and his government, and I just didn't care a feather or a fig. Although he did get sent to jail, he ultimately got his 'revenge' if you wish.
I had some really mixed emotions about this book - I don't think it was as detailed about the inner workings of the banking system as I had hoped, and felt like little more than a puff piece about how amazing the author believes he is, and how through corrupt officials, the government screwed him over.
I really struggle to recommend an audience for this book - I guess if you had more of an interest in whistleblowers, or the banking sector - you may find this interesting, but this is definitely a rose-tinted autobiography that will probably leave you hating the author. I think it lacks a certain objectivity that I was looking for in a subject like this.
I received a copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
September 26, 2022
This has to be one of the cringiest books I've ever read.
I'm halfway through reading it and I don't think I can keep going. If it would've been written by a proper journalist in the third person, with a non-bias pov, it had the potential to be a "must-read" in the geo-political/banking non-fiction genre. Unfortunately, the writer/narrator comes off as a self-loathing, vindictive, and condescending chauvinist, who's watched too many 80's action movies, and who couldn't help but to insert one douchey lyrical cliché after the other throughout the writings of his "memoire". Even if all of what he's depicting is true (which it might very well be), the way in which he describes each event makes it very hard to believe what he's saying is accurate (he's basically never wrong and all of the other people in the story are total idiots/loosers).
I can't help but to ask myself the question: who did he think would be the target reader? People who would be impressionable by this "style" of story-telling usually don't read much...!
I'd put 1.5 stars if it was possible. I give it 2 stars because the topic in itself is actually quite interesting. What a waste!
I'm halfway through reading it and I don't think I can keep going. If it would've been written by a proper journalist in the third person, with a non-bias pov, it had the potential to be a "must-read" in the geo-political/banking non-fiction genre. Unfortunately, the writer/narrator comes off as a self-loathing, vindictive, and condescending chauvinist, who's watched too many 80's action movies, and who couldn't help but to insert one douchey lyrical cliché after the other throughout the writings of his "memoire". Even if all of what he's depicting is true (which it might very well be), the way in which he describes each event makes it very hard to believe what he's saying is accurate (he's basically never wrong and all of the other people in the story are total idiots/loosers).
I can't help but to ask myself the question: who did he think would be the target reader? People who would be impressionable by this "style" of story-telling usually don't read much...!
I'd put 1.5 stars if it was possible. I give it 2 stars because the topic in itself is actually quite interesting. What a waste!
June 29, 2023
Fast paced, easy read. The author’s hubris stays with you from beginning to end, but it actually causes amusement after a while. Despite the endless turmoil and shenanigans of the DOJ, he remains firm in his convictions, albeit downplaying how he came to shift opinions with characteristic unabashed bravado. Some people will absolutely hate him as a person. Look beyond this & focus on the legal & banking story. His story is quite incredible to read. The legal dramas he gets involved in are described with a singular view. The machinations of politics and the law in the U.S. are interesting. It serves as both a cautionary tale & a redemption story full of bonkers energy, despite the chaos. The escapades he retells are definitely designed to shock and awe the general public. I would have preferred a little more detailed description of the whistleblower organizations who helped him & their workings. Also he purposefully simplifies the financial/ operational details of the Swiss bank he worked for, which is dumbing it down a little, and a pity. However, definitely worth a quick read!
January 29, 2024
I never write reviews, but I have to say, only I read this for work I wouldn't have finished it. The self righteousness of this guy is beyond belief. This book is not about how he "destroyed swiss secrecy laws" it's about how great his life was fully taking part in these illegal activities & how he only blew the whistle because he found UBS banks insurance policy if they were ever caught was to claim staff were told not to engage in this behaviour.
Which is despicable no doubt yes - but he then starts behaving like a choir boy, claiming he should receive the medal of honour & he was doing this for the American people.
The man is insufferable. And of course he made millions blowing the whistle too, so he came up smelling of roses, even after a 2.5 year stint in prison which he refers to as "camp cupcake." It's amazing how some people just get so lucky.
There are also multiple racist and misogynistic comments throughout.
Which is despicable no doubt yes - but he then starts behaving like a choir boy, claiming he should receive the medal of honour & he was doing this for the American people.
The man is insufferable. And of course he made millions blowing the whistle too, so he came up smelling of roses, even after a 2.5 year stint in prison which he refers to as "camp cupcake." It's amazing how some people just get so lucky.
There are also multiple racist and misogynistic comments throughout.
August 1, 2019
Author so insufferable and self absorbed that it made me question the veracity of the details (note: "veracity of the details") of the story, which looked to be a great one in the making. I came in with higher hopes. Almost every page is laced with putting himself over as a James Bond redux. I'm also not saying the arrogance of the author alone is what turned me off from the read; it was his masturbatory ramblings that frustrated me. I'm not even one to go off on tangents of his line of work. You do what the system allows you to do. Period. I am also not against his settlement. Again, system. But from word jump, everything had a vindictive, uber bro tone that wanted to be in Entourage as opposed to being a true candid recall of events.
January 25, 2021
Not worth reading.
Frankly, I found the author arrogant and full of himself and the text light on factual details and heavy on whining and revenge. What a hypocrite........reaps the financial benefits of working within the Swiss banking system then benefits from the American taxpayers through a reward, for biting the hand the fed him, and feels wronged by the DOJ for being held accountable for his criminal behavior?
Do not recommend reading it. There are much better books out there regarding whistleblowing.
Frankly, I found the author arrogant and full of himself and the text light on factual details and heavy on whining and revenge. What a hypocrite........reaps the financial benefits of working within the Swiss banking system then benefits from the American taxpayers through a reward, for biting the hand the fed him, and feels wronged by the DOJ for being held accountable for his criminal behavior?
Do not recommend reading it. There are much better books out there regarding whistleblowing.
July 8, 2022
Wow!!! This guy really likes himself.
The writing in this book is good. He has an excellent way of telling stories. Unfortunately every story is about him being King Kong and everyone else being dim wits and sluts. If you only knew what was in this book you'd think this guy was responsible for taking down UBS. Nothing about the great financial crisis just the stock went down 90% because Brad turned them in. Would love to hear the other side of some of these stories from the characters in the book.
The writing in this book is good. He has an excellent way of telling stories. Unfortunately every story is about him being King Kong and everyone else being dim wits and sluts. If you only knew what was in this book you'd think this guy was responsible for taking down UBS. Nothing about the great financial crisis just the stock went down 90% because Brad turned them in. Would love to hear the other side of some of these stories from the characters in the book.
October 31, 2021
One of two books I've ever tossed into the recycling bin rather than donate lest anyone else read such absolute crap. As soon as I read the intro I knew picking this up was an awful mistake - the author is part of the unhinged conspiracy-theory-pushing ultra-right-wing that's done so much to make America crazy again, and he's got a massive ego about his role in pushing false info for some unfathomable reason.
August 27, 2023
Reads like a non fiction spy novel but sadly is the truth!
Kudos to Bradley for having the courage to expose the lies and secrets of the Swiss. Too bad that just like Epstein’s list we will never know the names of everyone that had the secret numbered accounts. Oh and if you read this and still think Obama and the Clintons are such high moral ground characters….I don’t know what will change your mind.
Kudos to Bradley for having the courage to expose the lies and secrets of the Swiss. Too bad that just like Epstein’s list we will never know the names of everyone that had the secret numbered accounts. Oh and if you read this and still think Obama and the Clintons are such high moral ground characters….I don’t know what will change your mind.
August 31, 2023
An important book
This book was a thrill to read as well as an eye opener on how corruption thrives unless the whistle keeps on blaring. The authors life in the fast lane and what he accomplished was extraordinary! This a must read for all citizens for all nations especially the west around the world.
This book was a thrill to read as well as an eye opener on how corruption thrives unless the whistle keeps on blaring. The authors life in the fast lane and what he accomplished was extraordinary! This a must read for all citizens for all nations especially the west around the world.
December 3, 2016
I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.
This is a scary insight into the world of banking.
An absolutely amazing read which will leave you wondering who should you trust with your money!!
This may leave you hating the author.
This is a scary insight into the world of banking.
An absolutely amazing read which will leave you wondering who should you trust with your money!!
This may leave you hating the author.
July 25, 2020
I don’t normally write about books. Just give them my rating. This man/ author is the biggest ass in the world. And the book is written by what seems to be a two year old. Can I get my time back on this one?
March 26, 2023
Explosive book and a tell all tale of greed, but self-serving and arrogant.
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