TSN Supported Whistleblower Victoria Flores Speaks Out in USA Today
In an article published by USA Today about the Riverside County Sheriff running for Governor of California, former Sheriff’s Captain Victoria Flores addressed wrongdoing she witnessed, including staff and policy failures related to an epidemic of jail deaths. She discussed why she decided to blow the whistle and her fear of further retaliation for speaking out.
In July 2025, Victoria Flores filed suit against Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, Undersheriff Don Sharp, Assistant Sheriff Herman Lopez, and the County of Riverside Corrections Department for whistleblower retaliation, wrongful termination, violation of civil rights, and gender discrimination. According to her lawsuit, Bianco told her to call out sick so she couldn’t speak with the grand jury investigating the county’s jail deaths. “The only person that asked me to lie my whole time with the department was Bianco,” she told USA Today. “I made it very clear to the administration that I would not lie to the Department of Justice,” Flores said. “I made it clear to my other bosses and the county’s counsel that I would not lie. And that’s when my life became a living hell.”
According to her lawsuit, Flores also said she was retaliated against for raising concerns over inflated costs in the budget she was responsible for overseeing and other instances of corruption within the department. “Whistleblowers are almost always vilified,” Vicky said. “But right is right, and wrong is wrong. What’s been happening in that department for years is simply wrong.”
The Signals Network (TSN) represents Victoria Flores and has provided legal and security support to her and her family as they navigate the unique challenges of blowing the whistle. TSN provides holistic and individualized support to whistleblowers who disclose public interest information. Due to the patchwork of current whistleblower protection laws, whistleblowers are at significant risk of retaliation, estrangement, or alienation for speaking out for the public good.
Margaux Ewen, TSN’s Whistleblower Protection Program Director, said: “Whistleblowers like Victoria Flores deserve to be fully protected for courageously disclosing information of significant public interest. But her story illustrates the personal price she and her family have paid simply because of her whistleblowing. Thanks to Victoria’s information, Riverside county residents, families of deceased inmates and the public at large can finally learn about what the Riverside County Sheriff’s Office, and its Sheriff who is now running for governor of California, have been doing.”
Christopher Damien of The Desert Sun and The New York Times has reported on multiple incidents similar to those described in Victoria Flores’ complaint.
“This case raises important and urgent questions about the way in which Sheriff Bianco is running the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department,” said Paul Hoffman, the attorney representing Victoria Flores in her lawsuit. “We hope that the case will lead public officials and the public generally to end the abuses described in the complaint and restore the integrity of the Department and restore Captain Flores’ good name earned over nearly thirty years of honorable service to her community.”
About TSN
TSN is a 501(c)3 organization dedicated to supporting whistleblowers who risk their livelihoods to share public interest information with the press. Founded in 2017 by journalists, whistleblowers and lawyers, TSN operates internationally to hold powerful interests accountable. TSN provides customized support to a selected group of whistleblowers who have contributed to published reports of significant wrongdoing. This support may include legal, psychological, physical safety, temporary safe-housing, online safety, career support and communication support.
For media inquiries, email protect@thesignalsnetwork.org
