Waste, Fraud & Abuse
Federal corruption probe targets NYC councilmember, aide to Gov. Kathy Hochul
Federal prosecutors are conducting a corruption investigation into two prominent Democratic officials in Brooklyn for accepting bribes or kickbacks related to contracts with a migrant shelter provider.
Cambodia advances a scam center law with penalties of up to life in prison
Cambodian lawmakers on Monday unanimously adopted a new law targeting online scam operations with up to life in prison, following a government pledge to shut them down by the end of April.
Epstein victim sues DOJ, Google over release of her name in files
A woman who said she is a survivor of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has filed a class-action lawsuit against the U.S. government, claiming officials wrongly released information on 100 victims as part of the recent document dump.
FBI Director Kash Patel’s email hacked by Iran-linked cyber criminals
FBI Director Kash Patel has been the target of an Iranian-linked hack, with his private emails, photos and purported resume being published online.
Vance says theft of federal dollars by fraud is swamping states, programs
Vice President J.D. Vance kicked off the first meeting of the White House's anti-fraud task force on Friday by suggesting that theft of billions of dollars in Minnesota may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to defrauding federal programs.
House panel finds Florida Dem Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick cheated on campaign rules
A House subcommittee has concluded that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick gamed the system to siphon ill-gotten money into her political campaigns, provided false information on her financial reports and gave special treatment to associates when doling out earmark spending projects.
Well-timed trades, bets before Trump actions fuel suspicion of leaks
Democrats are crying foul over suspicious trades and bets around notable actions by President Trump, including social media posts that changed the contour of the Iran war and financial markets.
Trump Justice Department settles social media censorship case against Biden administration
The Justice Department reached a settlement agreement in a lawsuit alleging that the Biden administration pressured social media companies to remove or suppress disfavored speech by American citizens.
Justice Department settles lawsuit from Trump ally Michael Flynn for $1.2 million, AP source says
The Justice Department has settled for roughly $1.2 million a lawsuit with Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser to President Donald Trump who pleaded guilty during the Republican's first term to lying about phone conversations with a top Russian diplomat but was later pardoned.
Judge says embarrassing videos of DOGE staffers can be posted to YouTube
A federal judge gave approval Monday for a group to post online videos of former DOGE staffers struggling to answer questions about how they chose targets for the White House's attack on the federal bureaucracy, saying the public's right to know outweighed any threats or risk of harm.
Speaker Mike Johnson under the gun to pass renewal of the government’s FISA spy powers
House Republican leaders are trying to corral enough votes to pass a clean 18-month reauthorization of a key provision of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act before it expires at midnight on April 19.
Trump’s attempt to shutter Voice of America ruled illegal
The Trump administration's attempt to shut down the U.S. Agency for Global Media and boot Voice of America off the air was illegal, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Trump administration widens Medicaid fraud crackdown to Florida, calling it a ‘hotspot’
The Trump administration on Tuesday widened its efforts to stamp out Medicaid fraud, at least in its fifth state this year, calling on Florida officials to share information on how they identify, prevent, and address bad actors in their state program.
Jury deliberating in corruption trial of ex-FirstEnergy executives accused of $4.3 million bribe
Jurors in Akron began deliberating Tuesday in the corruption trial of two fired FirstEnergy Corp. executives charged for their alleged roles in a sweeping $60 million bribery scheme that resulted in a lucrative bailout of two affiliated nuclear plants.
Senate launches bitter floor battle over voter ID legislation
The Republican-led Senate on Tuesday voted to open what is likely to be a lengthy and rancorous floor fight over a bill to implement strict voter identification rules in federal elections.
House oversight panel subpoenas Attorney General Pam Bondi to testify April 14 on Epstein
Top House investigators issued a subpoena on Tuesday ordering Attorney General Pam Bondi to appear before the panel for a deposition about Jeffrey Epstein.
AI-generated pictures and voices drive surge in online dating scams, cyber experts say
That attractive, charming person on a video-chat dating website and that attentive, sympathetic caller on a dating phone line are likely scammers employing the latest artificial intelligence features to separate lonely romantics from their money, cybersecurity experts say.
Trump officially creates task force to investigate theft benefits fraud
President Trump on Monday formally launched a fraud task force to investigate the theft of taxpayer dollars from federally funded social-services programs in states across the country.
Ex-funeral home owner faces 20 years in prison after giving families fake ashes
A former Colorado funeral home owner who helped her ex-husband hide nearly 200 decomposing bodies in a building is asking for leniency when she is sentenced Monday, saying she was a "scared and desperate mother" who was manipulated to keep the family business operating.
Senators ask watchdog agency to audit DOJ protocols for unlawful Epstein file redactions
Four senators on Wednesday asked a government watchdog agency to audit the "protocols and processes" the Justice Department used to make what the lawmakers consider unlawful redactions in the Jeffrey Epstein case files.
