I was nervous when I was fitted with a wire. Standing in a sales meeting in a hotel in downtown Milwaukee, I could see the vehicles at street level, where the government investigators were listening in. It was reassuring to know that if anything went wrong, they were right down there.

When I first blew the whistle on Amgen, the pharmaceuticals company where I worked for 15 years, I told investigators that if they wanted confirmation it was paying sweeteners to doctors, they should record our sales meetings. I thought they would bug the room. They said if someone wears a wire, they don't have to go to a judge. They wanted me to work undercover, doing whatever I was asked without question right up until the day I was fired.

After I reported Amgen, I was worried about people finding out it was me. As time wore on, wearing a wire over 18 months, I became more comfortable and a little bold, asking questions that would prove what I was saying. I felt good about that - that I was demonstrating I was telling the truth.