Local Whistleblowing Attorney Shares His Story

By TRILBY BERESFORD | Reporter

Mychal Wilson didn’t plan on a legal career, let alone being a “Celebrity Whistleblower Attorney,” as his website states in bold lettering.

The Marquez Knolls resident lives with his son, Moses, and wife, Simone, who grew up in the Alphabet Streets. Wilson coaches AYSO soccer teams—most recently, the Region 69 All-Star team. He also has a history of coaching PPBA teams.

In fact he moved to California from Washington, D.C., to be an actor, and his IMDB resume points to a few professional film credits.

Most apparent, though, are his “Miscellaneous Crew” behind-the-scenes appearances as an entertainment attorney. That is Wilson’s current position (not in the fictional world of movies, but in life). Specifically, he is a relator and qui tam attorney, which means he represents the government against parties alleged to have violated a statute—yes, he is a whistleblower.

“Qui tam law is one of the fastest growing areas of federal litigation, which includes high monetary stakes and scorched earth legal strategies,” Wilson said in email correspondence with the Palisadian-Post.

(He’s currently in Sweden for the 2018 Gothia Cup [Youth Soccer].)

“Thankfully, my personal qui tam experience has enabled me to build a successful and reputable law practice coupled with my own show titled ‘The Whistleblower,’” he added.

“I just inked a distribution deal with DISH TV so it is another great avenue to expose stories of fraud, waste and abuse to the American consumer and taxpayer.”

On Friday, July 13, CBS premiered an episode of “Whistleblower,” which offered a glimpse into the journey of how Wilson came to pursue such a left-field path.

It all began when he got a job as a cardiovascular and diabetes sales representative with pharmaceutical company, Bristol-Myers Squibb, in 1998.

He was attending evening law school classes at the time and had a good grasp on what legal practices were right and wrong.

In 2004, Wilson accused the company of fraudulent business practices involving illegal access to patient medical records and the coercing of doctors to prescribe expensive drug therapies.

“In my opinion, receiving kickbacks such as tickets and box suites for sporting events, expensive restaurant meals and drinks, liquor, resort hotel trips, Swedish massages, concert tickets, golf outings, BMS employee and physician family basketball camps with LA Lakers, monetary incentives given to doctors responsible for prescription drug decisions on formularies, and pulling and flagging patient charts for drug therapy—which included the disadvantaged poor to Hollywood celebrities at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center—places patients in harms way, violates their privacy and drives up the costs of healthcare,” Wilson told the Post.

His lawsuits led to multi-million dollar settlements. “After being vetted and deposed by the [Department of Justice], state of California and defendant BMS, I feel honored to have been rewarded for those groundbreaking legal victories,” Wilson concluded.

In a recent statement that Bristol-Myers Squibb issued to CBS, they said: “We voluntarily adopted and have adhered to the PhRMA Code on Interactions with HealthCare Professionals since its inception in 2002, and soon thereafter established a Comprehensive Compliance Program that instituted strict guidelines around physician interactions and built upon our company wide integrity efforts, both of which are still in place today.”

Also still in place today is Wilson, the whistleblowing attorney. He declared to the Post, “In today’s world, these improper business arrangements have become the cost of doing business.”

Elaborating, he added, “These types of improper business arrangements may also create a false demand, which has adversely increased today’s drug premiums and drug pricing. Accordingly, improper business arrangements in the practice of medicine need to immediately cease and desist and executives who employ the egregious conduct should be held accountable.”

Wilson is currently serving as legal counsel on several high-profile cases pertaining to the illegal activities of pharmaceutical companies.

His program, “The Whistleblower,” airs every Tuesday at 10 p.m. on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and coming soon on Apple TV, DISH TV and on demand thereafter.