Whistleblower Protection for Reporting 

Money Laundering

Whistleblowers are protected from retaliation for reporting potential money 

laundering violations to their employers or to the federal government. 

The Anti-Money Laundering Act (AMLA) protects 

whistleblowers against retaliation for reporting 

potential money laundering violations or 

engaging in related protected activities.

Covered Whistleblowers

Under the AMLA, whistleblowers are protected 

from retaliation for engaging in protected 

activity. Whistleblowers are defined as any 

individual, or two or more individuals acting 

jointly, who provides information relating to a 

covered violation to their employer (including 

as part of the job duties of the individual or 

individuals), or to the Secretary of the Treasury, 

the Attorney General, a federal regulatory or 

law enforcement agency, or any member or 

committee of Congress, or who engage in other 

protected activity under AMLA.

The AMLA whistleblower provision does not 

apply to any employer that is subject to section 

33 of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 

U.S.C. 1831j) or section 213 or 214 of the Federal 

Credit Union Act (12 U.S.C. 1790b, 1790c).

Protected Activity

Whistleblowers are protected from retaliation for: 

• Reporting potential violations of the Bank 

Secrecy Act, the International Emergency 

Economic Powers Act, the Trading with the 

Enemy Act, or the Foreign Narcotics Kingpin 

Designation Act; conspiracies to violate 

these provisions; violations of any law, rule 

or regulation subject to the jurisdiction of the 

Department of Treasury; or criminal money 

laundering and related financial crimes to:

° the employer of the whistleblower(s),

° the Treasury Department or the Department 

of Justice,

° a federal regulatory or law enforcement 

agency, or

° any member or committee of Congress;

• Initiating, testifying in, or assisting in any 

investigation or judicial or administrative 

action of the Department of the Treasury or the 

Department of Justice related to such violations. 

What Is Retaliation?

Retaliation is an adverse action against an 

individual because of activity protected by 

AMLA. Retaliation can include several types of 

actions, such as: 

• Firing or laying off

• Demoting

• Denying overtime or promotion

• Disciplining

• Denying benefits

• Failing to hire or rehire

• Intimidation or harassment

• Making threats

• Reassignment to a less desirable position or 

actions affecting promotion prospects

• Reducing pay or hours

• More subtle actions, such as isolating, 

ostracizing, mocking, or falsely accusing the 

individual of poor performance

• Blacklisting (intentionally interfering with an 

individual’s ability to obtain future employment)

• Constructive discharge (quitting when an 

employer makes working conditions intolerable 

due to the individual’s protected activity)

• Reporting the individual to the police or 

immigration authorities

Deadline for Filing a Retaliation Complaint

Whistleblowers must file retaliation complaints 

within 90 days after learning of the alleged 

adverse action. 

How to File an AMLA Retaliation Complaint

An individual, or their representative, can file 

an AMLA retaliation complaint with OSHA 

by visiting or calling their local OSHA office, 

sending a written complaint to the nearest 

FactSheet
OSHA office, or filing a complaint online. No 

particular form is required, and complaints may 

be submitted in any language.

Written complaints may be filed by fax, 

electronic communication, telephone call, 

hand delivery during business hours, U.S. mail 

(confirmation services recommended), or thirdparty commercial carrier.

The date of the postmark, fax, electronic 

communication, telephone call, hand delivery, 

delivery to a third-party commercial carrier, 

or in-person filing with an OSHA office is 

considered the date filed.

To file a complaint electronically, please visit: 

www.osha.gov/whistleblower/WBComplaint.

To contact an OSHA area office, please call 

1-800-321-OSHA (6742) to be connected to 

the closest area office. Visit our website at 

www.osha.gov/contactus/bystate and click on 

your state to find your local OSHA office address 

and contact information. 

When OSHA receives a retaliation complaint, 

the agency will first review it to determine 

whether certain basic requirements are met, 

such as whether the complaint was filed on 

time. If so, the agency will then investigate the 

complaint according to the procedures required 

by 29 CFR Part 1979, until OSHA promulgates 

procedures specific to AMLA.

Results of the Investigation

If the evidence supports an individual’s claim of 

retaliation and the complainant and employer 

cannot reach a settlement, OSHA will issue an 

order requiring the employer as appropriate, 

to put the complainant back to work, pay two 

times the complainant’s lost wages, restore 

benefits, and provide other possible relief. The 

exact requirements will depend on the facts of 

the case. If the evidence does not support the 

complaint, OSHA will dismiss the complaint.

After OSHA issues a decision, the employer 

and/or the complainant may request a full 

hearing before an administrative law judge of 

the Department of Labor. The administrative 

law judge’s decision may be appealed to the 

Department’s Administrative Review Board 

(ARB). The ARB’s decision is subject to review 

by the Secretary of Labor, and a final decision 

may be appealed to a court of appeals. 

The complainant may also file a retaliation 

complaint in federal court if the Department 

has not issued a final order within 180 days 

from the date the complaint was filed. See 31 

U.S.C. § 5323(g)(2)(B).

To Get Further Information

For a copy of the AMLA whistleblower provision, 

31 U.S.C. § 5323(a)(5), (g) & (j), and other 

information, go to www.whistleblowers.gov. 

OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs 

enforce the whistleblower provisions of more 

than twenty federal whistleblower laws. To learn 

more about the whistleblower statues that OSHA 

enforces, view our “Whistleblower Statutes 

Summary Chart” at www.whistleblowers.gov/

whistleblower_acts-desk_reference.

For information on the Office of Administrative 

Law Judges procedures and case law research 

materials, go to www.oalj.dol.gov and click on 

the link for “Whistleblower.”

For information about the laws and related 

requirements enforced by the Treasury, please 

visit the Treasury’s website at: www.treasury.gov. 

Under the Occupational Safety and Health 

Act of 1970, employers are responsible for 

providing safe and healthful workplaces for 

their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these 

conditions for America’s working people by 

setting and enforcing standards, and providing 

training, education, and assistance. For more 

information, visit www.osha.gov.

DWPP FS-4176 02/2024

This is one in a series of informational fact sheets highlighting OSHA programs, policies or standards. 

It does not impose any new compliance requirements. For a comprehensive list of compliance 

requirements of OSHA standards or regulations, refer to Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

This information will be made available to sensory-impaired individuals upon request. The voice 

phone is (202) 693-1999; teletypewriter (TTY) number: 1-877-889-5627.