SEC OWB Records/Policies/Guidlines When Working With/Communicating With Whistleblowers

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a request under the Freedom of Information Act. I hereby request the following records:

I would like to obtain all internal policies, guidelines, scripts, FAQ documents, instructions, and manuals that detail how the Office of the Whistleblower assists current and would-be Whistleblower's in submitting information to the SEC and subsequently filing a claim.

I am requesting this information because there is an overwhelming amount of scientific evidence that becoming a Whistleblower is enormously burdensome to the Whistleblower and results in poorer quality of life, financial costs, uncertain legal proceedings, stress, mental health problems, and other damages. To be clear, some of these studies have been published or reported here:

1.) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11813350
2.) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11546821_Physical_and_emotional_effects_of_whistleblowing
3.) https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhigginbottom/2017/02/18/the-price-of-being-a-whistleblower/#eca53765b525
4.) And countless others.

Given that the SEC's mission is to fight financial fraud and the OWB's mission is to leverage the assistance of Whistleblower's to stop fraud, it would make reasonable sense that the OWB has guidelines or policies on how to best communicate and support Whistleblower's so the OWB can obtain the most effective information for enforcement. Given such, I therefore request documents pertaining to the following subjects:

1.) Any written guidelines, memo's, or policies that the OWB or SEC staff may provide to Whistleblower's (or follow internally) who have questions on the best way to submit information. It is know that these documents exist in informal or formal policies because the SEC's OWB staff have communicated to me directly certain suggestions on how to submit information;

2.) Any written guidelines, memo's, or policies that the OWB or SEC staff may provide to Whistleblower's (or follow internally) on the best way to submit voluminous Whistleblower tips from a foreign country. Of emphasis is if there are any guidelines on shipping documents from foreign countries. It is know that these documents exist in informal or formal policies because the SEC's OWB staff have communicated to me directly certain suggestions on how to ship information to the SEC from foreign countries.

3.) Any written guidelines, memo's, documents, information, or policies that OWB staff may follow (or provide to a Whistleblower) when determining whether or not it is necessary to respond to a Whistleblower's inquiry about:
A.) How to submit a Whistleblower tip; and
B.) What sort of petitions, motions, or other filings are accepted via the Claim for An Award adjudicatory process.

4.) Any written guidelines, memo's, documents, information, or policies that OWB staff may follow (or provide to a Whistleblower) when a Whistleblower requests assistance finding a lawyer.

5.) Any written guidelines, memo's, documents, information, or policies that OWB staff may follow (or provide to a Whistleblower) when a Whistleblower voices his or her concerns that he life, safety, health, or mental situation is being (or will be) severely damaged as a result of blowing the Whistle.

6.) Any written guidelines, memo's, documents, information, or policies that OWB staff may follow (or provide to a Whistleblower) when a Whistleblower's tip, information, or correspondence is deemed to be relevant to another law enforcement agency, such as the FBI, USCIS, DHS, ICE, or DOJ.

7.) Any written guidelines, memo's, documents, information, or policies that OWB staff may follow to determine whether or not it is necessary to respond to a Whistleblower's letter.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter. I look forward to receiving your response to this request within 20 business days, as the statute requires.

Sincerely,

Taylor Scott Amarel