NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- He was the mysterious figure who launched the criminal investigation into a massive fraud scheme inside a company started by Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam's family.
But until now, the identity of the man who started it all had been unknown -- even to many of the people who've already cut deals with federal investigators.
Now, NewsChannel 5 Investigates has learned that informant is a longtime financial advisor out of Knoxville who claims, in a federal lawsuit just filed, that he has become the victim of retaliation for his decision to go to the FBI.
His name is John Verble.
Known as "Dr. John" -- for his Ph.D. in psychology -- he became a sought-after financial advisor inside the Knoxville office of the investment giant Morgan Stanley.
Among his clients: top executives of the Pilot Flying J truck-stop chain.
Now, in the lawsuit that Verble just filed against Morgan Stanley, his attorney says it was Verble's "collaboration with the FBI and his work as a confidential source" that led to the FBI's case against Pilot.
Investigators have charged that Pilot executives ripped off trucking companies who'd been promised millions of dollars in discounts and rebates on their purchases.
That chain is headed by Jimmy Haslam, the owner of the Cleveland Browns and the brother of Gov. Bill Haslam.
After federal agents raided Pilot's Knoxville headquarters in April 2013, an FBI affidavit filed to support that search showed it was based on secret recordings and that employees believed Jimmy Haslam knew about the fraudulent scheme.
That FBI affidavit said the investigation began with a tip from someone known as "Confidential Human Source #1," who agreed to record conversations with a Pilot executive about the plot.
Verble's attorney says Confidential Human Source #1 is his client.
Then, after the raid, the lawsuit claims Verble was spotted by a Morgan Stanley employee getting into a black sedan with FBI agents.
That's when, he claims, he was confronted by a branch manager who threatened, "I'm going to take you outside and whip your ass!"
Less than a month after the raid, Verbal's lawsuit claims he was put on leave and locked out of his office.
A month later, he was fired and then he claims Morgan Stanley employees started spreading lies about why he left.
One employee allegedly remarked, "John Verble is mentally ill. He carries a gun. We are lucky we weren't shot."
The lawsuit claims that another claimed "Dr. John is crazy! He had a nervous breakdown. He is out of the business for good!"
Verble's lawsuit also claims that he became aware of illegal acts by other Morgan Stanley clients and by the investment firm itself.
Morgan Stanley issued a statement, disputing Verble's claims.
"There is no basis for the allegations made in this lawsuit, which Morgan Stanley will vigorously contest," the statement said. "Mr. Verble was dismissed and has resisted repayment of an outstanding recruiting incentive of $230,000."
So far, 10 former employees of the Pilot Flying J truck-stop chain have pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges as investigators attempt to make their way toward the top of the company.
Verble is represented by former West Virginia Supreme Court chief justice Richard Neely.
Nelly told NewsChannel 5 that Verble's case could provide a test of the whistleblower protections included in the Dodd-Frank law passed by Congress following the economic crisis of 2008.
