The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "schemes" ...
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Dirty Deeds
It may be the biggest inside job in Louisiana history: vast expanses of oil and gas-rich land and water bottoms, owned by the state, but handed over to some of Louisiana’s most powerful politicians. The “scheme” uncovered by our investigative team dates back to the 1930s and has generated over a billion adjusted dollars during that time. This comprehensive multi-platform series not only sparked an investigation by Louisiana’s Attorney General, but also informed viewers that this shocking 80 year old deal is still costing an already cash-strapped state tens of millions of dollars each year.
Tags: Politicians; oil; gas; governors
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Grandma can’t accept your call: Inmates disconnected by phone costs
This series of stories started with a simple question. Why does it cost so much for inmates to make calls from the Cook County Jail? In the course of my reporting on criminal and legal affairs for WBEZ, the public radio station in Chicago, I had heard numerous people complain about the high cost of phone calls. Some digging confirmed that the price could be as high as $15.00 for 15 minute calls. Three or four calls a week at that price gets expensive even for financially stable middle class folks, but the people paying these fees were mostly the poorest residents in Chicago. That’s because most of the people in the Cook County Jail are there because they and their families couldn’t afford to post bond of a couple thousand, or sometimes even just hundreds of dollars to secure their freedom while awaiting trial. They are the people who are least able to afford such expensive phone calls. A few FOIA requests revealed the scheme (and scheme is the right word… I just looked it up: a crafty or secret plan of action). Cook County gave an exclusive phone contract to a company called Securus Technologies. Securus charged inflated phone rates and their exclusive deal in the jail meant inmates wanting to talk to their families or arrange their defense had no choice but to pay the rates. Securus then paid back to the county 57½ percent of the revenue from the calls. It netted the county about $4 million a year. Securus wouldn’t tell us their take but I imagine they did alright too. All of the money was coming out of the pockets of the poorest residents in Cook County, people who couldn’t even afford to post bond for their freedom. (As an aside, this isn’t just an issue in Cook County. According to its website Securus provides the phone systems for 850,000 inmates in 2,200 jails and prisons across the country.) Our reporting shed public light on a hugely profitable contract that no one was paying attention to. We documented the lives of the impoverished people getting hammered by the policy and then turned the hammer on the local elected officials to ask them to explain how this was a good policy. The public officials responded in a way that once again proved the genius of democracy. Our efforts and the results are detailed in subsequent answers below.
Tags: prison inmates; phone calls; fees
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A Damaged District
For more than a year, Zahira Torres overcame obstacle after obstacle to document one of the worst school cheating scandals in the nation's history. Where other cheating scandals involved altering accountability tests, the El Paso Independent School District gamed the state and federal accountability systems by targeting Mexican immigrant students. In a number of cases, district officials refused to enroll students or pushed out students already enrolled -- denying countless students their constitutional right to an education. In other cases, they arbitrarily reclassified grade levels or altered transcripts, all in an attempt to keep students out of the testing pool. Torres' reporting sparked numerous results. The superintendent who masterminded the scheme went to federal prison. The state education agency removed the school board. And when Torres' reporting documented that the state was aware of details of the cheating in 2010 and cleared the district anyway, the new education commissioner ordered an independent investigation of how the agency missed the cheating.
Tags: schools; scandals; education; school board
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Denticaid: Medicaid Dental Abuse in Texas
A nearly two-year-long probe of Medicaid dentistry by WFAA’s Byron Harris discovered what authorities now say is a system of corporate fraud, propelled by Wall Street. News 8 found taxpayer money has gone to finance lavish lifestyles of dentists who have billed the government for unnecessary orthodontics and other procedures that, in many instances, harmed children. WFAA also uncovered a network of Medicaid recruiters who, for at least one clinic, lured children into a van with cash and food, had them sign their parents' names on treatment forms, then performed extensive and unnecessary work on their teeth without their parents’ permission. The FBI is currently investigating this and other Medicaid fraud schemes brought to light by WFAA's reporting.
Tags: Medicaid; dental health; fraud; corruption
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The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust
"This book was an effort to craft as definitive an account as possible of Madoff's scandal, the larges Ponzi scheme in history."
Tags: Bernie Madoff; Wall Street; Ponzi scheme
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ID Theft: Who's Got Your Number
The reporter discovers an unexpected and enormous surge in the latest ID theft schemes -- stealing tax refunds and scamming free medical care.
Tags: ID theft; identity; identity theft
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Bankers Life and Casualty
Bankers Life & Casualty is a 100-year old insurance company based in Chicago that prides itself on serving hte senior citizen community. But Inside Edition exposed a major financial scheme that propted a Senate investigation.
Tags: Bankers Life & Casualty; senior; elderly; Medicare
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Decline and Fall of the Vanguard Public Foundation
The stories investigated the Vanguard Public Foundation, one of the original politically progressive foundations founded and funded by heirs to major fortunes. The reporters followed up on rumors of strife within the foundation and uncovered a Ponzi scheme.
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DA Launches Lawmaker Inquiry
The Oklahoman examines whether a controversial state representative had schemed to get a state senator a newly created state job at the medical examiner's office. The representative's alleged motive was so a buddy could run for the Senate seat.
Tags: medical examiner; senate; state lawmaker; scandal
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Brian Ross Investigates: Better Business Bureau -- Pay to Play Scandal
An investigation of the Better Business Bureau revealed it was running a "pay to play" scheme. Businesses that paid for a BBB membership were given A plus ratings while those that didn't received F ratings. Following the investigation, the BBB immediately apologized and launched an internal investigation.
Tags: BBB; Better Business Bureau; consumer watchdog; business; scam