Introducing the 2026 IRE Conference Fellows!
William Selway, Martin Z. Braun and David Dietz of Bloomberg News exposed a phantom bond scam – over $7 billion in the past 10 years – which promise benefits for the needy (better housing, improvements to inner-city schools, etc.), yet the only ones profiting are banks, insurance companies and financiers. “The arrangements — often called…
Read MoreCarl Jones of Miami New Times reports on corruption in the justice system in southern Florida. The series [See:Part 1 and Part 2] explores the story behind a now disbarred defense attorney, Isreal Perez, Jr., who promised to get the prison sentences of convicted felons reduced – for a price. “If there’s any truth to…
Read MoreNate Carlisle and Lisa Rosetta of The Salt Lake Tribune report on sexual misconduct by peace officers in the state of Utah. “It is the most common reason – more than excessive force, falsifying reports or driving under the influence – that Utah officers lose their certifications or are suspended from their jobs, according to…
Read MoreIn the lead-up to November’s elections, John Ferro of the Poughkeepsie Journal exposes the potential for voting fraud in New York state. The statewide database of registered voters contains the names of nearly 77,000 deceased – including many who cast votes posthumously. “The Journal’s analysis is the first to examine the potential for errors and…
Read MoreShannon Behnken of the Tampa Tribune reports of real estate fraud in the St. Petersberg, FL area. “With three months’ experience, the agent [Dawn L. Molen] who had never listed a home closed her first sale Jan. 27 in a working-class neighborhood. Her buyer paid $45,000 more than the asking price…over the next eight months,…
Read MoreA 2-day series by Greta Guest and Victoria Turk in the Detroit Free Press examined the state of grocery stores in the city of Detroit. While the housing market in downtown Detroit is experiencing growth, a lack of desirable grocery store options is a “nagging problem in terms of the city’s quality of life.” Difficulty…
Read MoreIn response to The Philadelphia Inquirer investigation on the failures of DHS to protect children from abuse — and death — two officials have been dismissed. “Mayor Street forced out two top officials at the city’s child-welfare agency Friday, acknowledging that his administration had not done enough to protect children from being killed by child…
Read MoreBob Egelko of The San Francisco Chronicle reports that the paper has agreed to be held in contempt of court for refusing to disclose its reporters’ [Mark Fainaru-Wada and Lance Williams] sources of grand jury testimony in the BALCO case. This could result in fines of over $500,000. “The Chronicle’s editor, Phil Bronstein, said, ‘While…
Read MoreIn a story for the Tulsa World, Ziva Branstetter used FAADS (Federal Awards Assistance Data System) to identify the amount of federal grants going to Indian tribes and comparing those numbers with gaming revenues. She found that during the three most recent fiscal years of data available, gaming revenues among all tribes nationally increased about…
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