Whistleblower Blowback

Interesting, detailed account from the Oakland Tribune about Steven Heller, a temp worker for Jones Day, a law firm working for controversial e-voting kings Diebold. Heller slipped documents he obtained regarding Diebold's use in California of officially unapproved software to Black Box Voter activist Bev Harris, and now faces criminal prosecution for it. While two weeks after the documents Heller passed on became big public news, the state of California withdrew its e-voting contracts with Diebold (temporarily)

Heller himself remained largely unknown until two weeks ago when the Los Angeles District Attorney's Office charged him with a computer crime, second-degree burglary and receiving stolen goods--offenses carrying up to four years in prison--and propelled him to folk hero status among voting reform advocates, computer scientists and critics of electronic voting.

California officials also deny that Heller's documents were any part of the reason they withdrew their approval of Diebold, for what it's worth, which should make it harder for Heller to convince a jury that his whistleblowing was necessary for a greater public good.