Waste, Fraud & Abuse
AG nominee Todd Blanche takes blame for Epstein files flubs, vows anti-weaponization fund is dead
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche took responsibility Wednesday for botches that saw victims' names released in the Epstein files, but defended the Justice Department's response as a good effort on a thorny issue in a short time-frame.
Slain Philadelphia contractor was part of international fraud ring targeting homeowners, feds say
Federal officials said Tuesday that a Philadelphia construction worker who was shot and killed last week in a dispute with a homeowner was a member of a global gang of con artists.
Jack Smith’s ‘Arctic Frost’ team spied on lawmakers’ texts without shielding privileged info
Newly released records show that investigators working for former special counsel Jack Smith directly accessed text messages belonging to 44 current and former members of Congress.
Elon Musk likely broke the law by giving voters $1 million, Wisconsin board says
Billionaire Elon Musk likely broke Wisconsin law when he handed out $1 million checks to voters in the 2025 state Supreme Court election, a bipartisan panel has found.
Judge nixes Trump’s IRS-weaponization deal, says president used court for ‘political purposes’
A federal judge on Monday voided a controversial settlement between President Trump and the Justice Department, accusing the administration of abusing the court system to establish a $1.776 billion "anti-weaponization" taxpayer fund.
GOP senators seek DOJ fraud data ahead of push to codify enforcement unit
Half a dozen GOP lawmakers are requesting data to build a case for making the National Fraud Enforcement Division permanent and expanding its legal authority.
GI who fled to Britain amid fraud probe convicted of desertion
A soldier who fled to Britain three years ago during a fraud investigation was convicted of desertion by a military jury in Missouri, Army officials said Wednesday.
Palm Beach Pete gets fake Florida Division of Elections letter telling him to quit mayoral campaign
A Jeffrey Epstein look-alike running for mayor in Palm Beach, Florida, has received a phony letter from the state elections office advising him to withdraw from the race, The Washington Times has learned.
New federal probe goes after H-1B visa fraud; Vance says fraudsters are stealing U.S. jobs
Vice President J.D. Vance on Wednesday announced a new investigation into H-1B visa fraud, a program that allows highly skilled foreigners to work in the U.S.
DOGE shuts down with tally of budget savings in dispute
President Trump's cost-cutting initiative, the Department of Government Efficiency, officially closed its doors on Independence Day, and the administration does not plan to issue a final report on the effort.
Vance takes anti-fraud mission to Milwaukee
Vice President J.D. Vance will travel to Milwaukee on Wednesday and deliver a speech about the administration's efforts to crack down on fraud.
Cartels reverse smuggling routes to net billions sneaking gasoline from Texas into Mexico
Mexico's smuggling cartels, who have long made money smuggling illegally obtained oil into the U.S., are also smuggling fuel back into Mexico in a scheme to sell the product at full cost while ducking taxes, according to American authorities.
A grand jury indicts Louisiana’s attorney general in a fight over changes to the local courts
Louisiana's Republican attorney general was indicted Thursday on criminal charges by a grand jury in New Orleans, accused of trying to intimidate local officials who fought a law enacted by GOP legislators to overhaul the local courts.
Democrats accuse Trump-linked fundraisers of fraud over diverted donations for America’s anniversary
Consultants tied to President Donald Trump may have engaged in financial fraud, tricking donors who wanted to support the nation's bipartisan 250th anniversary organizer into sending their money instead to a rival group set up by his administration, according to a report released Thursday by House Democrats.
Trump administration plans crackdown on ‘birth tourism’ after Supreme Court ruling
The Supreme Court may have settled the legal issues on birthright citizenship but the Trump administration says it leaves room to find ways to prevent pregnant women -- particularly "birth tourists" -- from reaching U.S. soil to take advantage of it.
Four days to make victims fall in love: How global scammers use U.S. tech to fleece people
The instructions were clear: He had four days to make each victim fall in love.
House passes bill to recover COVID-era unemployment insurance fraud
A bill to create a federal task force to recover unemployment insurance fraud that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic has passed the House.
America split from monarchy 250 years ago. Trump’s presidency is testing how far it’s come
The 250th anniversary of America's liberation from a king kicked off with a campaign-style rally on the National Mall by President Trump, whose face already stares down from banners fluttering from federal buildings across the nation's capital.
Judge orders release of more Epstein-files names that were redacted
A federal judge in Washington on Thursday ordered the Justice Department to release information redacted or withheld from the public Epstein files, including names of people prosecutors once identified as "co-conspirators" and more details about an FBI interview with a woman who claimed President Trump assaulted her.
Feds sweep through New York City to bust up card skimming scams
Federal agents stopped a long line of customers at a Brooklyn convenience store on Tuesday and peeled a skimming device off the mounted card swiper in front of the stunned cashier.