Tag: corruption

Democrat Mayor Caught in Fraud—And She’s Not Alone

Corruption in Democrat-run cities is sadly familiar, but the federal indictment of New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is historic and deeply troubling.

A grand jury has charged Cantrell with dozens of felony counts, including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to obstruct justice, obstruction of justice, and making false statements. 

This marks the first time in New Orleans’ history that a sitting mayor has faced criminal prosecution, an unprecedented low point for a city already plagued by crime and mismanagement.

The indictment paints a picture of systematic abuse of office. At the center of the case is Cantrell’s relationship with Jeffrey Paul Vappie, a member of her executive protection unit who prosecutors say developed an “intimate and personal relationship” with her in late 2021. 

According to federal prosecutors, Cantrell and Vappie knowingly devised a scheme to defraud the city, with Vappie falsely claiming to be “on duty” while accompanying the mayor on at least 14 trips outside Louisiana, including international travel. 

These trips, totaling over $70,000 in taxpayer-funded expenses, were not legitimate city business—they were personal excursions disguised as official duties.

The indictment goes further, charging Cantrell with a dozen counts of wire fraud. Prosecutors allege she obtained money and property “by means of false and fraudulent pretenses, representations, and promises.” 

In plain terms, Cantrell is accused of using her office to enrich herself and those close to her at the expense of the taxpayers. 

If an ordinary citizen stole $70,000 from the government, they would face years in prison. The law should not bend simply because the accused sits in city hall.

Equally alarming are the obstruction-related charges. Prosecutors allege that Cantrell conspired to obstruct justice, made false statements, and even delivered a false declaration before a grand jury. 

These are not minor lapses—they are serious felonies aimed at concealing misconduct and undermining the justice system itself. A public official who lies under oath not only betrays the people but attacks the very foundation of accountability in government.

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Israel’s man inside the CIA betrayed the US, new files show

CIA spymaster James Angleton shaped the US-Israeli relationship in secrecy. Newly unredacted files shed light on his wanton betrayal of his country to assist Israel’s theft of US nuclear material and global spying operations. 

Veteran CIA counterintelligence chief James Angleton secretly oversaw a top-level spy ring involving Jewish émigrés and Israeli operatives without “any clearances” from Congress or Langley itself, according to recently declassified documents published as part of the Trump administration’s pledge to disclose all available information on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

The files provide a fresh and often disturbing look at a spy described by historian Jefferson Morley as “a leading architect of America’s strategic relationship with Israel,” detailing Angleton’s role in transforming the Mossad into a fearsome agency with global reach, while assisting Israel’s theft of US nuclear material and protecting Zionist terrorists.

Angleton established the Jewish emigre spying network in the aftermath of WWII, with the apparent goal of infiltrating the Soviet Union. But as the files show, the spymaster considered his “most important” task to be maintaining the supply of Jewish immigrants flowing from the Soviet Union towards the burgeoning Israeli state.

According to Angelton, his Jewish assets were responsible for 22,000 reports on the USSR, generating several intelligence masterstrokes. Chief among them was the publication of Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Kruschev’s famous 1956 secret speech denouncing Stalin, which the spymaster boasted “practically created revolutions in Hungary and Poland.” Elsewhere, Angleton bragged that his arrangement with Israel had produced “500 Polish intelligence officers who were Jewish” who “knew more about Polish intelligence than the Poles.”

Other passages appear to show Angleton taking credit for securing the “release” of several Zionist terrorists affiliated with the Irgun militia before they could be convicted for bombing the British embassy in Rome. Though the group had been captured by Italian authorities, the newly-disclosed files indicate the terror cell was freed on the orders of the CIA.

The information was originally divulged in 1975 to senators serving on the Church Committee, which probed widespread abuses by US intelligence in the decades prior. Congress was particularly interested in claims by New York Times foreign correspondent Tad Szulc, who testified under oath that Angleton had personally informed him that the US provided technical information on nuclear devices to Israel in the late 1950s. The new documents show that Angleton was deceptive under questioning, and evaded questions on Israel’s nuclear espionage efforts on the record.

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House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik Demands AG Pam Bondi Launch a Full Investigation into Standard Chartered Bank’s Terrorist Financing and Letitia James’ Role in the Explosive Scandal

House GOP Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has called on U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi to open a full-blown federal investigation into Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) and to scrutinize New York Attorney General Letitia James’ complicity in a billion-dollar terrorist financing scandal.

House Republican Chairwoman Elise Stefanik’s urgent letter to Bondi comes on the heels of a bombshell Gateway Pundit report into the Standard Chartered Bank sanctions evasion case, now before the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals.

That case uncovered at least $9.6 billion in illegal payments by the bank to Iranian and Hezbollah entities—payments that directly violate U.S. Treasury sanctions and undermine national security.

These transactions were allegedly concealed from mandatory disclosures under a deferred prosecution agreement overseen by the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Washington, D.C.

Even more disturbing, the case implicates New York Attorney General Letitia James and the Federal Reserve for ignoring these billions in illicit transactions and failing to enforce sanctions already designated by the Treasury Department.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported:

At least $9.6 billion of specifically identified illicit payments were made by SCB from its NYC branch to OFAC and known terrorist names. The $9.6 billion was found in internal trade reports turned over by bank whistleblowers and represents the first batch from SCB Dubai office that cleared through SCB NYC. There are estimated over $100 billion more of illegal payments that are more recent and from SCB China where it has 53 mainland branches that facilitate dollar trade payments for oil and war-making materials.

These payments were hidden by SCB from required disclosure in its ongoing Deferred Prosecution Agreement now under the jurisdiction of DCUSA Pirro and SDNY Clayton where both were briefed on SCB after their appointments. There are career blockers at each jurisdiction.

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Fraud Hunters: Sniffing Out Bogus Science

Molecular biologist Mike Rossner, who has committed his life to following the science, now finds himself playing an unexpected if urgent role – exposing the fraud of his fellow scientists. 

Rossner is part of a network of experts that sniff out researchers who intentionally or recklessly fabricate, falsify, or plagiarize evidence. Rossner, a consultant specializing in identifying manipulated and duplicated images in journal papers – a telltale sign of deceit – has been dismayed by his findings at U.S. research centers. Scientists often have deleted the data underlying the images, making misconduct harder to prove and casting doubt on the validity of the research. 

“Science is about finding the truth, and an inaccurate representation of what was actually observed means that you are not representing the truth,” said Rossner, a former managing editor of The Journal of Cell Biology. “This is harmful to the progress of science and to our society that depends on it.”

In recent years, research misconduct has tainted the country’s most venerable universities, including Harvard and Johns Hopkins. To date, more than 20 Nobel Prize winners have had papers retracted by the journals that published them, a move often associated with misconduct, according to Retraction Watch. The watchdog group says that retractions worldwide increased fivefold in the last decade.

That a profession with noble intentions finds itself beset by a surprisingly high incidence of not just honest errors but fraud – estimated at about 1% to 2% of all research papers – is a complicated story. Experts say it reflects a breakdown in ethics by scientists under intense pressure to frequently publish to keep their jobs. This problem was highlighted by a recent article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences about the growth of clandestine “paper mills,” which exploit the “publish or perish” culture of research. The operators of mills produce low-quality and fake papers – giving authorship to scientists at a price – that are published in “predatory journals” without peer review, fueling the growth of retractions and fraud.

The problem runs deeper. Lax oversight at some universities and research centers, which are required by federal agencies to police themselves and yet depend on the grants that published research brings in, allows wrongdoing to go unchecked. 

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Zelensky’s desperate gambit: Sabotaging peace talks to maintain grip on power

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is facing a perilous crossroads as his nation’s military prospects dwindle and peace talks between Russia and the U.S. loom on the horizon. With Ukraine’s defeat becoming increasingly undeniable, Zelensky is resorting to desperate measures.

The comedian-turned-president is risking a wider conflict to derail the impending negotiations. But this move could have catastrophic consequences for the region and beyond. The war has reached a critical juncture, with the balance of power shifting decisively in Russia’s favor. Despite initial optimism and promises of “turning points,” Kyiv’s forces are now depleted, and morale among troops is collapsing.

Western officials, once unwavering in their support, are now tempering their rhetoric, speaking of “realistic expectations” and the need for a diplomatic resolution. Against this backdrop, Russia’s Ministry of Defense claims that Ukrainian forces are preparing a major provocation to sabotage the upcoming Russia-U.S. peace talks cannot be easily dismissed.

The logic behind such an allegation is clear: For Zelensky, peace equates to political suicide. Any agreement that acknowledges the current territorial realities would shatter the narrative that has sustained his presidency, erode his domestic support and likely lead to his swift political demise.

This strategy is not without precedent. Historically, leaders facing strategic collapse have often resorted to reckless measures to maintain their grip on power. The danger lies in the potential for such a provocation to coincide with peace negotiations, provoking outrage in Washington and disrupting fragile diplomatic channels. This could push the conflict back toward open escalation, with devastating consequences.

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Democrat South Carolina Clerk of Court INDICTED on TEN COUNTS of Corruption, Embezzlement, and Ethics Violations — Stole Over $119,000 from Taxpayers, Including Child Services Funds

South Carolina State Grand Jury has dropped the hammer on Sharon W. Staggers, the now–former Williamsburg County Clerk of Court, slapping her with TEN criminal counts ranging from official misconduct and embezzlement to ethics violations and outright fraud.

According to the indictment, Staggers, who held her elected office from 2019 to 2023, allegedly treated taxpayer funds like her personal piggy bank, siphoning more than $119,000 from the public coffers.

Prosecutors say she knowingly and willfully funneled federal Title IV-D funds (money meant for child support enforcement under the Social Security Act) and excess salary payments straight into her own pocket.

According to the indictment, Staggers:

  • Raided federal child support enforcement funds (Title IV-D funds) to pad her own bank account with tens of thousands of dollars in so-called “incentive payments.”
  • Cut herself illegal “excess salary” checks year after year, siphoning off public money well beyond her legitimate pay.
  • Solicited and pocketed thousands under the guise of “community projects,” while allowing her office staff to also receive fraudulent overpayments.
  • Engaged in a pattern of public corruption tied to money laundering violations, as noted in multiple counts of the indictment

The court documents paint a damning picture:

  • $4,000 stolen in late 2019 from federal child services funds.
  • $14,500 taken in 2020 from Title IV-D incentive payments.
  • $31,115.32 stolen in 2021 — again from child support enforcement funds.
  • $11,536 pocketed in 2021 as excess salary.
  • $29,993.60 in excess salary payments during 2022.
  • $17,304 stolen in just the first half of 2023.
  • $4,818.09 skimmed from child services funds between August and October 2023.
  • Plus $6,232.05 in shady “community project” payouts, with fraudulent bonuses handed to her own employees

ABC News 4 reported:

Former Williamsburg County Clerk of Court Sharon Staggers was issued a 10-count indictment after allegedly embezzling almost $120,000 in public funds meant to enhance child support services, according to state Attorney General Alan Wilson’s office.

The counts read as follows, with potential prison times:

  • Count 1 – Misconduct in office, common law – 0-10 years
  • Count 2 – Embezzlement of public funds, value less than $10,000 – 0-10 years and a fine
  • Counts 3-7 – Embezzlement of public funds, value $10,000 or more – 0-10 years and a fine
  • Count 8 – Embezzlement of public funds, value less than $10,000
  • Count 9 – Use of official position or office for financial gain ethics act violation, 0-1 year and/or a fine not more than $5,000
  • Count 10 – Receiving anything of value to influence action of public official, 0-10 years and/or a fine of $0-$10,000

The misconduct took place between Nov. 2019 and Oct. 2023, when Staggers served as Williamsburg County Clerk of Court, the indictments allege. Counts 2-5 involve Staggers reportedly embezzling Title IV-D funds of the federal Social Security Act to be paid to her as Title IV-D incentive payments. Title IV-D of the Social Security Act specifically establishes grants for child support and establishment of paternity funding.

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Portland Antifa member ‘Isabel Araujo’ sentenced to one day of community service; threatens journalist outside courthouse

A violent Portland trans Antifa member has been sentenced to only 24 hours of community service and probation after assaulting a woman.

Isabel Rosa Araujo, born Philip Haskins-Delici and known by several aliases, was convicted last week of attempted assault and unlawful use of mace for attacking Sorbeah al-Mosa in March 2024.

At the sentencing in Multnomah County Circuit Court, the court barred photography. Both parties stated their pronouns, in line with a request from prior hearings by Judge Adrian Lee Brown.

“I left the house today and left my phone next to my stuffed animals since I believe I may be heading to jail,” Araujo told the judge before sentencing. He wore all black and a keffiyeh scarf around his neck.

In addition to community service, Araujo received a seven-day suspended jail sentence and one year of probation. His attorney, Justice Kelley, argued his client should be allowed to carry weapons for self-defense during probation, citing media coverage and “misgendering” from journalist Andy Ngo as a danger to Araujo. The judge only barred him from carrying mace and similar irritants, suggesting he can carry other weapons. Araujo is also prohibited from contacting the victim.

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Exposed: How Hillary Planned to Reward Schiff for Undermining Trump

The real scandal at the heart of the Russiagate saga is the intimate and troubling connection between Adam Schiff and Hillary Clinton. This connection reveals how classified intelligence was weaponized to target Donald Trump. We’ve already talked about how recently declassified documents confirm the Trump-Russia collusion hoax was a deliberate political hit job, which Barack Obama approved in coordination with Clinton’s 2016 campaign. But things are so much worse.

As PJ Media previously reported, then-congressman Schiff was the architect behind the deliberate leaking of classified information aimed at smearing Trump and pushing a narrative against him designed to ensure his prosecution.

Back in 2017, a veteran career intelligence officer working for Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee warned the FBI that Schiff had not only approved but actively orchestrated the leaking of sensitive classified intelligence. According to whistleblower testimony from 2023 interviews, Schiff convened a staff meeting where he explicitly declared that the group would leak damaging classified information about President Trump. His goal was to use this information to secure an indictment against Trump. 

The whistleblower, who was close to Schiff and other intelligence figures on both sides of the aisle, described these actions as “unethical,” “illegal,” and “treasonous.” 

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A man went to prison for assaulting me. DC Police crime stats show he was never arrested

Five years ago, I was violently attacked and sexually assaulted in broad daylight in Washington, D.C., by a homeless man. He served time in federal prison for what he did to me. But if you look for evidence that the attack happened in the city’s crime statistics, you won’t find it.

The truth of what happened to me and the D.C. government’s role in it is as much a public scandal as it is a personal trauma. D.C. police covered up the unspeakable wrong that the stranger did to me. Even though a judge sentenced my attacker to hard time in prison, D.C. police leadership would rather deceive the public and appear less dangerous than list mine and countless other sexual assaults on their website.

The extent of crime in D.C. has been debated by the Left and Right since President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he would take federal action to crack down on problems in the District of Columbia.

But if the public wants to have an honest conversation about crime in D.C., the MPD will first have to be honest about how prevalent crime is. Without MPD’s honesty about the crimes that it has chosen to hide from its public-facing stats page, the White House cannot get an accurate picture of how bad the problem actually is and adequately fix it.

For me, the story began long before that attack. I was a Washingtonian for seven years. I was saving up money to buy a condo and planned to spend the next few decades in Washington, the intersection of politics and media. D.C.’s crime problem was something you lived with. You took Ubers and Lyfts, told others if you were walking after dark so they knew when you were home, and knew to be aware of your surroundings, almost to the point of paranoia. (Ladies?)

On a Saturday morning in 2020, I walked out of my apartment on Capitol Hill to mail a package at a post office several blocks from the U.S. Capitol. I put on my black sweatshirt and black sweatpants then headed out the door.

I never made it to the post office.

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Meet the Leakers! Russiagate Was More Incestuous Than You Could Believe

Many years ago, Bill Whittle gave me the sharpest definition you might ever read for the proper role of journalism in a healthy republic: “They’re the antibodies of the body politic.” But we do not live in a healthy republic — and journalists too often are part of the cancer we’re trying to eliminate. 

Case in point: So-called journalists who, instead of investigating Russiagate claims, performed as marionettes for the Obama-era intelligence community, determined to rig and then undo a presidential election.

And now we have at least two names.

I’ll get to those in just a moment, but first, this important reminder.

At the center of the Obama White House’s fabricated Russia collusion narrative is Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) — currently under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Maryland for mortgage fraud.

The first name is Ellen Nakashima, whom RealClearInvestigations senior reporter Paul Sperry dryly calls “the Washington Post’s handmaiden for the deep state.” Her most recent appearance, Sperry reported on Tuesday, isn’t under her WaPo byline, but in “FBI 302s as the likely key recipient of classified intelligence leaks from Adam Schiff regarding Russiagate.”

Sperry previously reported in July that “Declassified docs show Obama’s spooks used Washington Post stenographer Ellen Nakashima to plant 3 major Russiagate stories,” so the idea that Nakashima was also on Schiff’s speed dial is hardly outrageous.

“It has come to my attention that Washington Post reporter @nakashimae appears to be actively harassing ODNI staff,” administration intel chief Tulsi Gabbard posted on X last month. “Instead of reaching out to my press office, she is calling high-level Intelligence Officers from a burner phone, refusing to identify herself, lying about the fact that she works for the Washington Post, and then demanding they share sensitive information.”

Nakashima also helped bury the Hunter Biden Laptop from Hell story.

Another name is New York Times investigative reporter Michael Schmidt.

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