Mark Whitacre

American business executive and whistleblower

Mark Whitacre

Name	Mark Whitacre
Birth name
Birth date	Birth date -1st March 1966
Birth place	Morrow, Ohio, U.S.
Death date
Death place
Alma mater	Ohio State University, Cornell University
Occupation	Business executive, whistleblower
Years active
Organization
Known for	Whistleblower in the Lysine price-fixing conspiracy
Notable works
Spouse(s)	Ginger Gilbert
Website

Mark Edward Whitacre (born May 1, 1957) is an American business executive and whistleblower who is best known for his role in uncovering the Lysine price-fixing conspiracy in the mid-1990s. Whitacre was a high-level executive at Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and became a cooperating witness for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in one of the largest price-fixing cases in U.S. history.

Early Life and Education

Mark Whitacre was born in Morrow, Ohio. He attended Ohio State University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in animal science. He later obtained a Ph.D. in nutritional biochemistry from Cornell University.

Career

Whitacre began his career at Ralston Purina before joining Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) in 1989. At ADM, he quickly rose through the ranks to become the president of the BioProducts Division.

Whistleblowing and Legal Issues

In 1992, Whitacre became involved in the Lysine price-fixing conspiracy, where ADM and other companies colluded to fix the price of lysine, an essential amino acid used in animal feed. Whitacre decided to become a whistleblower and approached the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Over the next three years, he worked undercover, recording conversations and gathering evidence against ADM and other companies involved in the conspiracy.

In 1995, the FBI raided ADM's headquarters, leading to the indictment of several executives. Whitacre's role as a whistleblower was initially praised, but it was later revealed that he had embezzled $9 million from ADM during the same period. As a result, he was sentenced to nine years in federal prison for embezzlement, tax evasion, and fraud.

Later Life

After serving his sentence, Whitacre was released from prison in 2006. He has since become a motivational speaker and an advocate for corporate ethics and whistleblower protection. He is also the subject of the book The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald, which was later adapted into a film of the same name starring Matt Damon.

Personal Life

Whitacre is married to Ginger Gilbert, and they have three children. He currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.

Related Pages

• Archer Daniels Midland
• Lysine price-fixing conspiracy
• Whistleblower
• Federal Bureau of Investigation
• The Informant (book)
• The Informant (film)