IRS whistleblower gets record cash

In Washington, lawyers announced the biggest IRS payout ever to a whistleblower.

Attorney Dean Zerbe:

SOUNDBITE: DEAN ZERBE, LAWYER FOR BRADLEY BIRKENFELD, (ENGLISH) SAYING:

"Today is a great day for tax fairness. Today is a terrible day for big time tax cheats. Why do I say that? Because today is the day we're very pleased to announce that Brad Birkenfeld, the most important tax whistleblower in the history of the country, has received a major award of $104 million dollars from the IRS under the IRS whistleblower program."

Birkenfeld blew the whistle on his former employer, UBS, for helping wealthy Americans hide money in secret accounts in Switzerland.

He is under home confinement in New Hampshire after being released from prison last month. Birkenfeld was jailed after the government said he withheld other information about hidden

money.

Sasha Salama, Reuters.