Whistle-blower accuses Tesla of eavesdropping on employees’ cellphones at Nevada Gigafactory
Karl Hansen, who filed the complaint with the US SEC, also said Tesla failed to act on claims that a Mexican cartel was selling drugs at the factory
An employee fired from Tesla Inc’s Nevada battery factory has filed a whistle-blower complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, accusing the company of spying on employees and failing to act after learning that a Mexican cartel may be dealing drugs inside the plant, his lawyer said on Thursday.
A former member of Tesla’s internal investigations team, Karl Hansen, filed a tips, complaints and referrals form to the SEC about the Gigafactory on August 9, Hansen’s lawyer Stuart Meissner said in a news release. Whistle-blowers can receive 10 per cent to 30 per cent of penalties the SEC collects.
Tesla said it took the allegations that Hansen brought to the electric car maker seriously and investigated.
“Some of his claims are outright false. Others could not be corroborated,” Tesla said in the statement.
The complaint sent to the SEC comes amid intense focus on the company and Chief Executive Elon Musk, whose tweets about taking the company private last week set off a scramble to determine whether he violated securities law in stating that funding for the deal was “secured.”