Waste, Fraud & Abuse
Rep. Jimmy Gomez faces Ethics Committee probe for alleged sexual conduct with House staffer
The House Ethics Committee announced Monday that it is investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez over allegations that the California Democrat engaged in inappropriate sexual conduct with a House staffer.
Feds accuse hospitals of pushing bogus gender-transition treatments to make money
A new Department of Health and Human Services report charges that hospitals pushed unnecessary gender transitions on vulnerable children because they saw dollar signs.
Former Playboy Playmate says FBI ignored her Epstein report for 15 years
A former Playboy Playmate alleges the FBI ignored her tips about sex offender Jeffrey Epstein for 15 years, even after Playboy founder Hugh Hefner personally called the bureau on her behalf in 2005.
Bank fraud, forged checks and elderly victims: Indiana credit union manager gets 3 years in prison
A federal judge in Indiana sentenced a former credit union branch manager to three years in prison for using her position to rip off elderly clientele.
Man accused of voting twice in 2024 election — both by mail
Federal prosecutors charged a man with voting twice in the 2024 presidential election, casting ballots in Pennsylvania and Alaska through the mail.
Massachusetts mayor charged with stealing pandemic money
The FBI arrested the mayor of Lawrence, Massachusetts, charging him with stealing pandemic assistance money and siphoning it to his political campaign account.
Forbes editor out; report says he took $6M from founder of firm that does business with magazine
The top editor of Forbes left his job last month after an "undisclosed conflict of interest" and was reportedly dismissed for accepting $6 million from the founder of a firm that does business with the magazine.
Court says mail ballots are ‘prone to fraud,’ backs Texas crackdown law
A federal appeals court upheld a Texas law requiring voters to provide an identification number before casting ballots by mail, plus scolded voting rights activists and a lower court for their efforts to undermine the state's statute.
Former Southern Poverty Law Center official arrested in federal fraud case
Federal authorities arrested the former chief financial officer at the Southern Poverty Law Center on Wednesday, accusing her of signing off on fraudulent bank payments that have put the storied civil rights organization in the Justice Department's crosshairs.
Feds bust massive Chinese fraud ring that arranged 1,000 bogus marriages
Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they disrupted one of the biggest marriage fraud rings in U.S. history that orchestrated more than a thousand bogus unions over a decade in the hopes of getting green cards.
Dem senators accuse Belgian diamond group of ‘cartoonish bribe’ to Trump to buy break from tariffs
Two Democratic senators are pressing for answers about whether a diamond trade organization's 18-karat gold ring gifted to President Trump was a "cartoonish bribe" to obtain tariff exemptions.
More than 50 bodies found improperly stored and decomposing at Chicago funeral home
More than 50 bodies were found improperly stored and decomposing at a Chicago funeral home on Thursday, prompting a hazardous materials response and efforts to identify the remains and notify relatives, authorities said.
White House launches new fraud tracking website to tout efforts
The White House on Thursday launched a new website to track every action the administration has taken to crack down on federal fraud and the efforts to recover taxpayer money from criminal networks.
New Mexico sues DOJ, demands unredacted Epstein files on Zorro Ranch
New Mexico filed a lawsuit against the Justice Department seeking to compel the federal government to hand over unredacted files related to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
DOGE exaggerated its savings; GAO audit questions 96% of Musk office’s claims
President Trump's Department of Government Efficiency made grand claims about the savings it earned taxpayers -- but much of those never came to pass.
Senate committee votes to hold Fauci in contempt for refusing to answer questions about the pandemic
A Senate committee voted Thursday to hold Dr. Anthony Fauci in criminal contempt of Congress for refusing to answer senators' questions about his decisions and actions during the pandemic.
U.S. DOGE Service could legally outlive DOGE’s formal shutdown, watchdog finds
Department of Government Efficiency-style work could legally continue even though it was terminated, according to a new congressional report.
White House declassifies documents on FBI probe into whether Trump fired Comey at Russia’s urging
The White House on Wednesday released declassified documents saying the FBI launched an investigation into whether President Trump was acting as an asset on behalf of Russia when he fired FBI Director James B. Comey, despite the bureau saying there was little evidence within the agency supporting that assertion.
GOP Rep. Max Miller feels the heat to quit race amid family-abuse claims
Ohio Republican Rep. Max Miller is dismissing pressure on him to drop out of his reelection campaign over allegations of domestic abuse.
New GOP plan to fight fraud in federal programs runs into Democrats’ fight over fired IGs
Rep. Pete Sessions of Texas has a plan for a new government-wide inspector general to focus specifically on fighting fraud.
