Fraud
Reuters finds vicious circle of self-interest sank a California city
When San Bernardino filed for bankruptcy in August, the mayor blamed the city council and the police and fire unions. The unions blamed the mayor. Yet on close examination, the city’s decades-long journey from prosperous, middle-class community to bankrupt, crime-ridden, foreclosure-blighted basket case is straightforward—and alarmingly similar to the path travelled by municipalities around America’s…
Read MoreStar Watch Investigation: Vectren’s costly coal deal is a profit for company, pain for ratepayers
“At a time when coal prices were at record highs, Vectren locked into expensive, multiyear agreements to buy almost all of its coal supply from its own wholly-owned mining subsidiary, Vectren Fuels. And ratepayers paid the price. Experts say Vectren disregarded the common industry practice of staggering its coal purchases through shorter-term contracts to hedge…
Read MoreExtra Extra Monday: Weekend enterprise outside of election coverage
Welcome to IRE’s roundup of the weekend’s many enterprise stories from around the country. We’ll highlight the document digging, field work and data analysis that made their way into centerpieces in print, broadcast and online from coast to coast. Coverage this week was dominated by the election, but there was some watchdog coverage to be found…
Read MoreInvestigation into court loophole leads to conviction
“Investigative reporter A.J. Lagoe, with WRIC TV8 in Richmond, Va, uncovers widespread fraud in Virginia’s court-appointed attorney system. Criminal defendants are lying about their assets in order to qualify for a free lawyer and all too often getting away with it thanks to a loophole in Virginia law.” “Now a man profiled in the 8News…
Read MoreDonors deceived, money meant for charity goes to telemarketer
Million of dollars in donations intended for charities have instead gone to the telemarketing firm soliciting the donations, an investigation from Bloomberg Markets found. InfoCision Management Corp. claims on its website to raise more money for charities over the phone than any other company in the world. But one-sided contracts leave the majority of money…
Read MoreExhaustive search finds little evidence of voter fraud
Despite calls for strict voter ID laws, an in-depth study of American election fraud reveals that the rate is infinitesimal. Since 2000, News21 found 10 cases of in-person voter fraud, which only photo ID laws would prevent. That would be about one case for every 15 million eligilbe voters. News21 is a national program based…
Read MoreThieves and gamblers given control of disabled vets’ assets
“A Houston Chronicle/Hearst series on disabled veterans ripoffs nationwide found convicted thieves, inveterate gamblers, the bankrupt and the mentally ill were repeatedly handed control of disabled veterans’ assets and estates by the VA – and then stole from them.” “The findings of this investigation of more than 100 prosecutions and decades of audits of this…
Read MoreNational tutoring program rampant with fraud
In a three-part series, the Star Tribune has found that a billion-dollar federal tutoring program is rife with fraud and mismanagement. The program, officially known as Supplemental Educational Services, is one of the lesser known and little scrutinized portions of No Child Left Behind. The investigation found that it has been lightly regulated by the…
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