Laura Ingraham and Bill Essayli detailed new developments in California’s Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force during a recent exchange focused on the state’s handling of taxpayer-funded homeless services and a growing number of criminal cases tied to misuse of public money.
Ingraham opened the discussion by pointing to the origins of the task force and its narrow focus on homelessness programs, asking why those services became the priority of the investigation.
“Back in April, you launched this task force to investigate corruption in California. You focused on homeless services. Tell us why. This might be just the tip of the fraud iceberg here,” Ingraham said.
Essayli explained that his background as both a former prosecutor in Los Angeles and a former state legislator shaped his decision to examine homelessness spending, particularly given the scale of public investment and the lack of measurable improvement.
“Yeah, Laura, remember, before I was the prosecutor here in LA, I was in the legislature. Over the last five years, California spent $24 billion on homelessness, and it only got worse. So of course, the question is, where did the money go? What happened to 24 billion?” Essayli said.
He said those questions led directly to the creation of the Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force. Essayli acknowledged that federal investigations require time, even as public frustration grows.
“So I launched this task force, and just quickly, I mean, federal investigations do take time. I know the public wants action. It takes time to put these cases together,” he said.
Hellbound and Down 