A famous whistleblower who helped recover billions of taxpayer dollars claims he had his tell-all book derailed by Kevin Costner and billionaire Leonard Lauder when they threatened legal action over his mention that they each held secret bank accounts worth millions of dollars.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Bradley Birkenfeld claims he wrote a book in 2016 called "Lucifer's Banker," about his work in the banking industry and his role as "a world-renowned whistleblower."

Birkenfeld claims he "voluntarily disclosed to multiple United States law enforcement authorities and the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (“PSI”) the existence of 19,000 Americans with secret, offshore, undeclared, numbered bank accounts at UBS, Switzerland, an offshore mecca for billionaires, to evade United States income taxes, capital gains taxes, estate taxes, or otherwise engage in illegal conduct."

He says his work with the government helped recover "more than $20 billion from American taxpayers in back taxes, fines, and penalties."

When Birkenfeld submitted the manuscript for his book, it identified Lauder and his mother — THE Josephine Esther “Estée” Lauder — "as owners of secret, offshore, undeclared bank accounts at UBS, Switzerland."

The original manuscript also contained reference that Kevin Costner "had a $20 million account in the Private Banking Unit [of UBS]."

Birkenfeld also claims he also gave testimony under oath about the account to the U.S. Department of Justice, IRS, SEC, and the PSI."

But in September 2016, just before the book was to be published, Birkenfeld claims lawyers for Lauder and Costner separately sent letters to his publisher threatening legal action "unless references to them as owners of secret, offshore, undeclared, numbered accounts at UBS, Switzerland in Lucifer’s Banker were censored."

He claims Costner's letter "falsely asserted" that the star "never had an account with UBS...[M]y client never had any account with UBS and has never had any offshore bank account."

Lauder's letter, Birkenfeld claims, said the accounts complied with United States and Swiss law and "falsely insinuated that Defendant LAUDER and his mother Estée Lauder never owned a secret, offshore, undeclared numbered account at UBS, Switzerland."

References to both Costner and Lauder were eventually removed from the book, which Birkenfeld claims "substantially diminished the newsworthiness and global sales" of the book.

He also claims the demands delayed publication, caused his publisher to destroy tens of thousands of previously printed books, required him to hire an additional attorney to vet the book, damaged his reputation, and forced him to increase his literary insurance to $3 million.

Birkenfeld is suing for damages in excess of $75,000.

The Blast reached out to reps for both Kevin Costner and Leonard Lauder but has not yet heard back.