For some whistleblowers, reporting misconduct in the workplace is worth the risk of termination or other kinds of retaliation. In addition to exposing wrongdoing, they may receive a portion of a large settlement; the Department of Justice reports that in fiscal year 2013 it paid out more than $345 million to the "courageous individuals" who exposed fraud and false claims by filing a qui tam complaint under the provisions of the False Claims Act. But that's only one part of the story, especially if the whistleblower works for a federal agency. In many cases, government employees who stick their necks out receive a traditional federal punishment: banishment to windowless offices, often in the basement, far away from coworkers and friends. Article