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Teresa Tumblin served with the FBI in what she has called her ‘dream job’ prior to retaliation and now termination after she served as a whistleblower.

SUMMIT POINT — Summit Point resident Teresa Tumblin first blew the whistle on discrepancies and unethical behavior within the FBI in more than 10 years ago, when she saw things done incorrectly within the National Name Check program, where she served as a quality assurance reviewer research analyst.

Tumblin reported the discrepancies with the team leader and supervisor and on up the chain of command to the director of her division. Her allegations led to an inspection of her unit and her identification as a whistleblower.

According to the National Whistleblower Center, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and rewarding whistleblowers around the world who report behaviors and actions not appropriate in the workplace, those who do said reporting should receive support when they bring to light corruption or wrongdoing.

Instead of receiving that type of support, Tumblin faced retaliation within the FBI. She was initially moved out of her position and has been passed up for promotions and performance awards, despite having been recognized as an outstanding employee prior to her coming forward as a whistleblower.

In a statement released this week, Tumblin shared that she has been terminated from her position with the FBI for “minor grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.”

After Tumblin’s initial reporting, the Department of Justice investigated and reported reprisals occurred in her case in 2020. After the FBI made an argument following the release of the Office of the Inspector General’s report of reprisal, it submitted a second report in 2022, which softened the tone but still reported reprisal had occurred. Tumblin was granted a transfer to the Training Services Unit (TSU) in 2019 from research analyst GS12 to management and program analyst GS12.

“I was told my MAPA (management and program analyst) would remain a GS12 even though all the other MAPA positions in TSU could go to a GS13. My position alone capped out at a GS12,” she said.

Tumblin made another protected disclosure to Information Management Division (IMD) management and the FBI Inspection Division. She reported TSU for gross misuse of funds and mismanagement. She even went as far as to say the Training Services Unit could easily be dissolved into another unit that could result in a savings to the FBI of approximately $775,000 per year.

Tumblin noticed immediate hostility from the TSU team and management. On Aug. 23, 2023, she received a letter from the Inspection Division that the Internal Affairs Section mandated actions be taken to address the concerns raised in her complaint.

According to Tumblin, she reported the bullying to the TSU section chief and assistant section chief in August and September, where she met and explained the hostility she was experiencing. Tumblin shared with The Journal that she explained how she felt as though she was being forced off of the Records Management team and possibly TSU altogether.

“On Oct. 26, 2023, SC emailed, ‘TSU management has affirmed you are still a member of the Indexing and Records Management teams. Mentoring will also continue, and TSU management is available to provide further guidance,’” she shared.

Tumblin believes that the real plan was to force her out of the FBI.

“IMD’s unethical ethical counselor, who provided documented unethical information during my original 2014 protected disclosure, was now the ASC for TSU and once again providing unethical guidance,” she stated.

Tumblin went out on medical leave for a routine procedure but had complications, which turned into a permanent disability. Although Tumblin had always received a consistent performer rating from FY19 to FY23, TSU placed her on an Individual Developmental Plan (IDP) the day after she returned from medical leave, the same day she was provided with her FY23 Consistent Performance rating on Feb. 14, 2024. Tumblin was later placed on a Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) in July 2024.

Tumblin was notified the next day that the FBI opened an investigation on May 21, 2024, for allegedly disruptive and unprofessional behavior and unprofessional conduct while on duty. She has not heard a thing from the Inspection Division since being notified, but she has been expecting special agents to raid her home any day.

Tumblin was notified in October that she failed her PIP, after which, on Nov. 7, she was placed on indefinite suspension with recommendation for dismissal.

Tumblin was dismissed on Jan. 30 for an unjustified failed PIP that she contends she should never have placed on in the first place. She was fired after 16 years of documented outstanding, excellent and successful performance for minor spelling and grammatical errors, she said. Tumblin has suffered financially, physically, mentally and emotionally as a whistleblower. Through the loss of her job, she also lost her pension and her health insurance.

“But, I never lost my integrity,” she said.