Waste, Fraud & Abuse
Pandemic jobless fraud ‘dwarfs’ Minnesota scandal, was largest taxpayer theft in history: Watchdog
Pandemic unemployment insurance fraud was the single largest theft of American taxpayer dollars in history, Linda Miller, president of Program Integrity Alliance, told a panel of lawmakers.
‘Damn right’: Ex-Gov. Paul LePage says fraud is all around, and Maine Democrats are to blame
Former Maine Gov. Paul LePage is putting allegations of fraud at the center of his run for Congress, saying Maine is plagued by the same kind of social-services corruption that has emerged in Minnesota -- and that Democrats have ignored warning signs for years.
Watchdog flags $50 billion in ‘unsustainable’ maintenance backlog at federal buildings
The federal government has an estimated $50 billion in unsustainable deferred maintenance and repair liabilities at its underused agency buildings, an independent watchdog reported Thursday.
Unverified sex assault claim against Trump at center of latest Epstein files release
The Justice Department's imminent release of more than 47,000 withheld documents related to sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein include wild, unverified claims of President Trump engaging in sexual misconduct that date back to the 1980s.
Noem says she lives in Coast Guard housing as security measure, pays rent
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told lawmakers on Wednesday that she is living in a Coast Guard residence as a security precaution -- and said she's paying the government to rent the home.
DOJ takes down huge hacker forum, seizes LeakBase’s data
One of the world's largest online forums used to buy and sell stolen data and cybercrime tools was dismantled, the Justice Department announced.
Rep. Mace asks House panel to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi over Epstein files
Rep. Nancy Mace pushed colleagues Wednesday to subpoena Attorney General Pam Bondi to get answers about her handling of the Epstein files.
Fear of lawsuits, racial backlash spurred massive Minnesota fraud, House report says
Minnesota officials knew early in the pandemic that a major food assistance program had fraud issues but kept money flowing because they feared the political fallout of a racially tinged lawsuit, according to a House report released Wednesday.
Dr. Oz launches investigation into New York’s Medicaid program
New York's $124 billion Medicaid program is under Dr. Mehmet Oz's magnifying glass -- the latest development in the Trump administration's "war on fraud" initiative.
Defense Dept. has spent $12 million to keep illegal immigrants at Guantanamo
The Defense Department spent $12 million last year to house illegal immigrants at the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba -- including nearly $3 million to erect a tent city that never got used.
Illegal immigrant ran fake U.S. government agency: Feds
A Brazilian man in the U.S. illegally ran a brazen scam pretending to head a fake federal agency that trained chaplains in Florida to respond to emergency situations, prosecutors said Friday.
DOJ escalates push for states’ voter data
Brushing aside legal setbacks, the Justice Department is intensifying its quest to force states to turn over their voter rolls.
Judge rules IRS broke law by sharing addresses with ICE
The IRS broke the law "approximately 42,695 times" by sharing taxpayers' addresses with ICE, a federal judge said Thursday.
Groups tell lawmakers the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation is wasteful
A coalition of more than 40 organizations is calling for the elimination of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation, calling the center a "failure" that needs to be a part of getting rid of government waste.
Citizen journalists, citizen sleuths helping to unravel the tangle of Epstein documents
When sifting through the seemingly endless collection of documents in the Epstein files gets to be too much and Ellie Leonard needs a break, she takes a walk outside. Then it's back to the computer.
Judge blocks release of special counsel Smith’s report on Trump classified documents case
A federal judge blocked former special counsel Jack Smith's attempt to release a damning anti-Trump report to Congress, ruling Monday that because Mr. Smith was never properly appointed to the job, his attempts to complete the document were done outside of the law.
Police search Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor’s former home a day after his arrest
Police continued on Friday to search the former home of Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, a day after he was arrested and held in custody for the best part of 11 hours on suspicion of misconduct in public office linked to his friendship with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
DOGE defeat: Congress has rejected most of Trump’s spending cuts
President Trump and his DOGE swung for the fences last year in calling for big spending cuts, but with Congress now done with most of the 2026 budget bills, it's become clear he barely got the ball in play.
Mexican timeshare owners may be funding terrorist cartel, feds warn
The Treasury Department delivered a new warning to Americans who own or are looking to buy timeshares in Mexico, saying Thursday that a major smuggling cartel has infiltrated the market and is siphoning the money to its own nefarious ends.
British police arrest ex-Prince Andrew over Epstein ties
British police on Thursday arrested Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the former Prince Andrew, on charges of misconduct in public office.
