PSU Knew in 2011 that Freeh May Have Mishandled Child Abuse Investigations

Rodney Erickson and presumably the entire Board of Trustees knew in 2011 that Louis Freeh may have engaged in or tolerated gross misconduct in investigations of child sex crime cases, and may have tolerated retaliation against an employee who reported the misconduct.


NATIONAL WHISTLEBLOWERS CENTER
3238 P STREET, N.W. WASHINGTON, DC 20007 I 202-342-1902 (tel) 202-342-1904 (fax) I WWW.WHISTLEBLOWERS.ORG

November 22,2011
Rodney Erickson
President
Pennsylvania State University
417 Old Main
University Park, P A 16802

Dear President Erickson:
I am writing on behalf of the National Whistleblowers Center and our client Jane Turner,
a former 25-year veteran of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a Senior Resident
Agent in the Minot Field Office. The NWC has represented Ms. Turner since 2002 and has been
extensively involved in investigating her allegations that the FBI grossly mishandled
investigations of child sex crimes in Minot, North Dakota. Ms. Turner's whistleblowing
commenced when Louis Freeh was FBI Director and has continued throughout Robert Mueller's
tenure.

We understand that Penn State has retained former FBI Director Freeh, to head the
investigation of child sex crimes at Penn State. Attached, please find a letter we are sending
today to Attorney General Eric Holder calling for a full investigation of the FBI's misconduct in child sex crime cases and its willful failure to properly protect children in the Minot, North Dakota area. It is important to note that some of these instances occurred during Mr. Freeh's tenure as FBI Director.

As set forth in the letter to Attorney General Holder, numerous FBI officials engaged in
misconduct during child sex crime investigations managed by the FBI in the North Dakota.
When Ms. Turner blew the whistle and identified specific instances of gross negligence in the protection of children, she suffered extreme retaliation.

We hereby request that you ensure that no person directly or indirectly involved in the
independent investigation of the Penn State child abuse scandal had any involvement in the
misconduct that occurred in North Dakota and/or in the subsequent retaliation against Ms.
Turner. There are court records and extensive deposition testimony that verify Ms. Turner's
allegations. We would be more than willing to share this information with a responsible college
officiaL. It is essential to ensure that the investigation is truly independent and not tainted by
officials who may be ashamed of their own wrongdoing.

Additionally, there were assistant US Attorneys and a Customs Special Agent who were
willing to stand up against the FBI's pressure and testify on behalf of the children. We request
that you ask former Director Freeh to review the actions taken by these courageous officials and
consider adding them to his team.


Although we are not accusing former Director Freeh of having engaged in this
misconduct, Ms. Turner did report a number of concerns personally to him while he served as Director. Moreover, a number of senior officials who reported to him were directly involved. We request that former Director Freeh be questioned to determine ifhe was aware of Jane Turner's child abuse allegations. Based upon his answers, you can make a determination as to whether he must also be disqualified.

We learned from the Jane Turner case that even a highly-decorated and respected law
enforcement official can have her career destroyed by exposing institutional weaknesses and
misconduct in the protection of young children. We therefore request that you make a public
statement in support of a zero-tolerance policy for retaliation against any employee or student
who steps forward with additional evidence of child sex abuse misconduct will not be tolerated.


Stephen M. Kohn
Executive Director
National Whistleblowers Center
Attorney for Jane Turner
(Retired 25-year FBI veteran and Senior
Resident Agent in the Minot Field Office)
cc. Steve A. Garban, Chairman, Board of Trustees
Daniel R. Hagen, Chair, University Faculty Senate
Larry C. Backer, Chair-Elect, University Faculty Senate