Individuals stepping forward as whistleblowers on unidentified flying objects claim they are facing efforts to stifle their revelations about what they consider to be some of the United States’ most tightly held secrets.
Jeremy Corbell, an investigative journalist instrumental in ushering several whistleblowers into congressional hearings, cautions that the dangers these individuals face go well beyond mere public judgment.
“They’re sacrificing their security clearances, their personal safety, and even the safety of their families, risking it all, if only because of the stigma,” Corbell explained to the Daily Mail. His upcoming film, Sleeping Dog, explores several of these cases in depth.
Among the prominent stories in the film is that of Dylan Borland, an Air Force veteran who testified before Congress in 2025 about his encounter with a 100-foot triangular craft near Langley Air Force Base in Virginia during his service.
“Since that time, my family, former colleagues, friends, and I have been subjected to harassment at levels I had never imagined,” Borland shared with the Daily Mail.
‘I do not know what the future holds because factions within the US Government appear to be openly and knowingly working to cover this up.’
He alleged that false documents were created and intelligence products generated under his name following his testimony.
Corbell also pointed to the death of former US Air Force intelligence officer Matthew Sullivan, 39, who died in 2024 before he could testify in a whistleblower hearing involving UFO-related programs.
One of the central cases featured in the film involves Air Force veteran Dylan Borland, who testified before Congress in 2025 about encountering a 100-foot triangular craft near Langley Air Force Base in Virginia while stationed there
‘His death is so suspicious in more ways than people know that the FBI and Congress are involved,’ Corbell said.
Sullivan had worked in roles connected to military intelligence and advanced technology programs and was reportedly scheduled to provide testimony about classified UFO-related matters before his sudden death.
Corbell said the timing raised serious concerns, saying: ‘This is very uncharacteristic in so many ways of what’s going on, and the timing of it is so bad.
‘Maybe he was so distraught that he took his own life. I wasn’t there, I don’t know. But I do know that the FBI and Congress and people who knew him very well see this as extremely suspicious, and it is being investigated.’
While officials have not released full details surrounding the circumstances of Sullivan’s death, the involvement of federal investigators has heightened fears among some whistleblowers about the risks tied to coming forward.
Borland said he chose to testify because he believed public safety was at risk.
‘I and others with direct knowledge of legacy non-human intelligence programs and craft have been subjected to crimes and disturbing actions intended to silence or intimidate us,’ he said.
‘Congress needed to know that this is real, and that they have been misled at best, and deliberately lied to at worst.
Former US Air Force intelligence officer Matthew Sullivan, 39, died in 2024 before he could testify in a whistleblower hearing involving UFO-related programs. Here he is with his wife
‘I went public to make sure the truth could no longer be buried, and to demand accountability for the crimes committed against those who knew too much.’
Borland testified that the craft he witnessed in 2012 appeared as a black metallic triangle with what he described as a ‘gold lava plasma-like fluid’ moving across its surface.
He said the object hovered silently before accelerating upward instantly to commercial jet altitude.
Borland also reported unusual physical effects during the encounter, claiming his phone overheated and froze, while static electricity filled the air and a smell similar to a thunderstorm lingered nearby.
During the 2025 Congressional hearing, he alleged that multiple government agencies blocked job opportunities, forged documents and manipulated his security clearance after he came forward.
Afterward, Borland said he was asked to appear before the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to testify about unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), including what he witnessed more than a decade earlier.
He said he provided classified and unclassified documents, medical records and emails that he believed supported his claims.
‘Within weeks of my appearance, an ODNI employee informed me that I had ‘lied under oath,”‘ Borland said. ‘That employee accused me of saying and doing things I did not say or do.’
He said the accusations reinforced fears that intelligence records had been manipulated to contradict his testimony.
After requesting access to his records to review how his statements were being used, Borland said communication from officials stopped entirely.
Corbell said the fear surrounding whistleblowers has grown in recent years.
‘So you see in the movie that Borland is so afraid for his own personal safety, and that’s the state they’re all in right now,’ he said.
‘They feel like there’s nowhere left to turn. They’re really nervous, for good reason. They’ve had some horrible things happen to them.’
Corbell said he has spoken to hundreds of individuals who claim to have knowledge related to UFO programs, though only a small number have formally testified.
Matthew Brown, who came forward in May 2025 claiming the existence of a secret program called ‘Immaculate Constellation,’ said he has faced home invasion and attempts to discredit him
‘I’ve had sources in every agency that I can name,’ he said.
One of those sources was Matthew Brown, who came forward in May 2025 claiming the existence of a secret program called ‘Immaculate Constellation,’ which he alleged collected classified UAP data.
Brown previously worked in senior advisory roles within the Department of Defense and the State Department.
‘I came forward as a UAP whistleblower to Congress and the American people because my oath to support and defend the Constitution demanded it,’ he said.
He alleged that since coming forward, he has experienced disturbing incidents.
‘Some of the most disturbing experiences include my home being broken into while I was asleep, intelligence officers infiltrating my social networks, and attempts to discredit UAP whistleblower testimony,’ Brown said.
Corbell warned that intimidation is not always physical.
He said many of the battles now take place online, where coordinated campaigns attempt to discredit whistleblowers through misinformation and public attacks.
Interest in unidentified aerial phenomena has surged in recent years, with lawmakers demanding increased transparency and access to classified material.
Reports from UFO whistleblowers stretch back decades, with individuals alleging the US government has concealed evidence of non-human technology.
The number of high-level witnesses has grown sharply since 2017, including military pilots, intelligence officials and others claiming involvement in secret programs.
Corbell said the stakes continue to rise as more witnesses weigh the decision to come forward.
‘They’re doing this because they believe the public deserves to know,’ he said.
‘And for many of them, the cost is everything.’
