Tag: taxes

Oz: Chinese Government Involved in Fraud, Suspect Russia, Cuba as Well

On Monday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Jesse Watters Primetime,” CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz discussed fraud and said that “We’ve got the Chinese government involved in a big fraud ring in New York” in addition to suspected fraud that the Russian and Cuban governments are involved in.

Guest host Kayleigh McEnany asked, [relevant exchange begins around 2:25] “[L]ast time, when I spoke with you, you talked about the Cuban government possibly being involved in some Florida fraud, but it’s bigger than that. There are many foreign [governments] that are getting taxpayer dollars and taking advantage of taxpayers, tell me about what you found.”

Oz responded, “Well, we’ve got Russian government involvement, we believe, in Los Angeles. We’ve got the Chinese government involved in a big fraud ring in New York. And, of course, the Cuban connection that you mentioned was pointed out to me by the former mayor of Miami, Francis Suarez, who pointed out that we’ve got twice as many durable medical equipment suppliers — they sell wheelchairs and canes — twice as many as there are McDonald’s in South Florida and the owners all seem to be Cuban and they flee back to Cuba with the money when we come after them.”

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Caught On Tape: California Billionaire Tax Architect Admits Wealth Confiscation Could Go Even Further

One of the co-authors of California’s controversial ‘one-time’ tax on billionaires appeared to suggest that the levy could extend beyond a single imposition.

Marxist economics professor Emmanuel Saez, who hails from France, made the comment during a Tuesday debate against economist Arthur Laffer at the University of California, Berkeley.

“I don’t think it’s going to be a one-time tax. Because you can’t surprise billionaires more than once,” Saez said. “Even then, maybe some of them were expecting something like this. So, it’s going to be a debate about this time, you know, a permanent wealth tax at a low rate that’s going to last for a number of years.”

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Pedophile in NJ Women’s Prison, Who Horrifically Abused His 7-Year-Old Daughter, Demands Nude Witchcraft Rituals and Marriage to Male Accomplice in Insane Settlement Negotiations

A biological male convicted of human trafficking his own 7-year-old daughter across the country, repeatedly sexually assaulting her, and filming the abuse to produce and distribute child sexual abuse material, is now housed in New Jersey’s only women’s prison.

To make the situation even sicker, he is demanding a taxpayer-funded settlement that would allow him to perform nude outdoor Wiccan rituals and marry his male co-defendant while behind bars.

Matthew Volz, who uses the name “Marina Volz,” is serving a 25-year sentence with 25 years of parole ineligibility after pleading guilty in November 2021 to multiple first-degree charges, including human trafficking, aggravated sexual assault, conspiracy to commit human trafficking and aggravated sexual assault, and endangering the welfare of a child through the creation of child pornography.

The crimes committed against this child by Volz and his accomplices are horrific, and reader discretion is advised.

In December 2018, Volz traveled to Oregon with co-defendant Adam Romero, who uses the name “Ashley Romero,” to take custody of his biological daughter from her mother, who was a drug addict.

The pair brought the child back to their home in Franklin Township, New Jersey, where they operated what prosecutors described as a “family-owned transgender pornography production studio specializing in amateur, BDSM and taboo fetish content.”

Volz and Romero sexually assaulted the girl, both individually and together, and filmed the abuse to sell to other sickos.

The child was subjected to torture-like conditions, including neck collars, a cage in the basement, and sex toys, according to a report from Reduxx.

Reduxx reports, “Some of the media found by police featured Romero sexually abusing the girl with another man. Romero lived in the residence with Volz and with two other individuals; Sean Allen, who had also sexually abused the child on film, and Dulcinea Gnecco, who acted as a domestic assistant.”

“The two other men in the home were also convicted for their roles in the sexual abuse of the child. Sean Allen, 54, was handed a 12-year sentence for his role in the crimes, and Dulcinea Gnecco, was also charged on four counts of child endangerment and received a 5-year sentence.”

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TRUMP’S AMBASSADOR TO BELGIUM DROPS A NUKE ON EUROPE’S GREEN NIGHTMARE: U.S. Ready to Fork Over Up to $10 BILLION to Supercharge Belgian Nuclear Power – Trump Personally Backing the Deal as Continent Wakes Up to Reality!

In a bombshell interview that has European globalists clutching their windmills and solar panels, U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White just laid it all out: America is offering to finance up to 50 percent of the cost of building new nuclear reactors in Belgium — potentially $10 billion in U.S. investment that will deliver American technology, American engineering, and American energy dominance straight to our NATO ally.

White, a Trump loyalist hand-picked for the job, didn’t mince words with Belgian newspaper La Libre. Washington is all-in on helping Belgium reverse decades of suicidal “green” phase-out madness. Two American nuclear powerhouses — Westinghouse and GE Vernova — are ready to supply the reactors, the full engineering package, and the know-how.

And get this: President Donald J. Trump is “personally and fully behind the project.” Once permits are secured, White says a new reactor could be up and running in just five years. Five years. That’s lightning speed compared to the endless delays, cost overruns, and regulatory sabotage that have plagued Europe’s flirtation with unreliable wind and solar.

This isn’t charity. This is strategic payback — and smart business

Belgium’s new right-leaning government under Prime Minister Bart De Wever has already moved to nationalize the country’s entire nuclear fleet from French giant Engie, halting decommissioning plans and signaling a full-throated return to nuclear power. After years of leftist climate hysteria that shut down perfectly good reactors and left Europeans freezing in the dark while paying through the nose for Russian and Middle Eastern energy, reality is finally hitting home.

And who’s stepping up to lead the renaissance? America.

Westinghouse’s AP1000 reactor — a Generation III+ beast with revolutionary passive safety systems — is ready to take center stage. No pumps, no external power needed for 72+ hours of blackout protection. Fewer valves, fewer pipes, massive modular construction in factories. It’s already proven in the U.S. (Vogtle 3 & 4), China, and beyond.

GE Vernova brings its small modular reactor (SMR) expertise with the BWRX-300 for flexible, rapid deployment. This isn’t experimental — it’s battle-tested American excellence.

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Husbands With Two or More Wives Get Increased Benefits

The Department for Work and Pensions has increased the benefits paid out to households in polygamous marriages from April. The Express has the story.

The DWP has confirmed in its benefits uprating list that “additional spouses” in “polygamous marriages” are being given a 4.8% boost to their benefits from April, which would most likely be for husbands with multiple wives.

Those who are classed as an “additional spouse” in a polygamous marriage and are above state pension age were in 2025–26 able to claim an additional £119.50 per week of Pension Credit or Housing Benefit, with no given limit on the number of separate additional spouses who can claim in one household, other than the overall benefits cap per household per year.

From April 2026, this has been increased to £125.25 per week per additional spouse, a 4.8% increase in line with wage growth, which is how Pension Credit is automatically increased each spring, which is another £5.75 per week, or £299 extra per year.

The money is less than that person would be able to claim if they lived alone (£238 from April 2026), but is still extra money for a three-person household’s income compared to a two-person marriage.

The rule is not new, but the amount given to second wives is still being increased each year.

Although bigamy is illegal in the UK, the act of marrying more than one person at a time – polygamy – is not illegal if the marriages took place overseas.

This is legal where a person has married multiple wives (or husbands) overseas while legally living in a country where this is legally allowed, and then moved to the UK legally afterwards.

In that circumstance, a person now legally living in the UK, who legally married more than one spouse while living overseas, can then see their second, third and even fourth wife (or husband) all claim an additional £125.25 each per week, as long as that additional spouse came to the UK legally in their own right.

The DWP’s benefits and pension rates 2026 to 2027 document states: “If the claimant is a member of a polygamous marriage and all of the members of the marriage have attained pensionable age on or after April 1st 2021, for the claimant and the other party to the marriage [the allowance per week is now] £363.25.

“For each additional spouse who is a member of the same household as the claimant [the allowance per week is now] £125.25.”

It is understood the DWP believe the number of claimants to be small although it has not been able to provide a number for how many second or third wives do claim the benefit.

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More States Enact New Laws Curbing Teachers Unions

New organized labor reforms signed into law by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last week require a majority of members to be present for teachers union certification or recertification votes, increase fines for illegal strikes, and establish merit-based pay for educators.

In Idaho, after July 1, teachers unions will be prohibited from collecting dues directly from members’ paychecks, using paid time off for union activities, or recruiting new members during school hours.

A similar law in Arizona, which also bans teacher strikes and prohibits organized labor members from using any school property—even email addresses—for union activities, will be decided on by voters in the November election.

“They can’t consume taxpayer-funded resources during the school day,” said Rusty Brown, special projects director for the Freedom Foundation policy organization, which assisted state legislators with those measures and helps teachers opt out of union membership.

These ideas are expected to gain ground throughout the nation in the months and years ahead, Brown told The Epoch Times.

Individually, the Freedom Foundation’s Teacher Freedom Alliance has so far helped more than 272,535 teachers opt out of union membership, including more than 50,000 in 2025 alone, according to data provided to The Epoch Times. This includes educators in red and blue states.

At the state level, Oklahoma lawmakers have advanced legislation that would allow teachers to withdraw from a union at any time and would terminate “closed shop” provisions that prevent teachers from accessing alternative labor or professional organizations, such as the Teacher Freedom Alliance.

Brown calls this an “equal access and an end to a monopoly and captive audience bill.” Alternative organizations can offer teacher liability insurance and other benefits at a fraction of the price that traditional unions charge, he said.

Brown said he believes that the legislation could pass before Oklahoma’s session ends later this month, but the member withdrawal proposal probably won’t go through this session.

Alabama state lawmakers will consider legislation similar to Oklahoma’s next session, he said.

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Steve Hilton Catches Leftist Grifters Paying Illegals to Campaign for a Dem with Your Tax Dollars

Steve Hilton said a new investigation from Cal DOGE uncovered what he described as a corruption scandal involving California gubernatorial candidate Xavier Becerra and the taxpayer-funded immigrant advocacy organization CHIRLA.

Speaking outside CHIRLA offices in Santa Ana, Hilton said the organization receives nearly all of its funding from California taxpayers while also engaging in political activity tied to Becerra’s gubernatorial campaign.

“So this is our latest investigation from Cal DOGE, and it’s the latest corruption scandal involving having a Becerra. And it’s all connected to this organization, CHIRLA,” Hilton said.

Hilton said CHIRLA endorsed Becerra in April and pledged to support his campaign for governor.

According to Hilton, the endorsement raised concerns because the organization receives public funding.

“We are standing outside the CHIRLA offices in Santa Ana in Orange County. This organization is almost entirely funded by you, the California taxpayer,” Hilton said.

“Nearly all of the money to fund CHIRLA comes from taxpayers, and we will lay out the details of that in a moment.”

Hilton said Cal DOGE reviewed documents connected to CHIRLA’s political operations and claimed those records showed the organization using illegal immigrants in campaign-related efforts.

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Former NFL Player Sentenced to Prison for $197M Medicare Fraud

The Department of Justice announced that former NFL player Joel Rufus French, 47, was sentenced to 16+ years in prison and ordered to pay $110,753,619 in restitution after a years-long scheme to bilk Medicare and the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA) out of nearly $200 million.

He also forfeited approximately $17 million that the government seized from bank accounts and other assets.

French was an All-American tight end at Ole Miss before briefly playing in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers.

According to the DOJ, French, who owned a marketing company and was the beneficial owner of eight durable medical equipment (DME) companies, was selling patient information and sham doctors’ orders for orthotic braces that patients did not want or need.

Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. shared, “Fueled by lies, bribes, and overseas telemarketers, this corrupt scheme preyed on senior citizens and disabled veterans to flood the country with unnecessary medical devices — and then billed the taxpayer for it.”

“Today’s sentence makes clear that if you target America’s elderly, sick, or vulnerable — and rob America’s purse doing so — you will be targeted and brought to justice.”

“The defendant orchestrated a brazen, yearslong scheme that preyed on elderly patients and the families of disabled and deceased veterans to steal millions from Medicare and CHAMPVA.”

Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG) added, “By hiding behind overseas call centers, sham telemedicine companies, and straw‑owned DME suppliers, he exploited some of the most vulnerable people these programs were created to protect.”

“This lengthy sentence underscores the seriousness of his crimes and sends a clear message: HHS‑OIG and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in safeguarding taxpayer‑funded programs and ensuring those who seek to defraud them will be found, stopped, and held accountable.”

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Gavin Newsom Launches ‘Free Diapers’ Program That Has a Curious Connection to His Wife’s Pet Project

California Governor Gavin Newsom is launching a new project in his state that will give new parents hundreds of free diapers. Sounds great, doesn’t it? New parents need diapers. Lots of them. Win win, right?

ABC 7 reports:

California families welcoming newborns will soon receive hundreds of free diapers before leaving the hospital under a first-in-the-nation program announced Friday by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

During the program’s first year, it will be offered at about 65 to 75 hospitals that handle about a quarter of births in the state and largely serve low-income patients, Newsom’s office said. The initiative will expand to more hospitals statewide, though the governor’s office did not say how many. The state has partnered with nonprofit Baby2Baby to manufacture the diapers under the label “Golden State Start.”…

The state set aside $7.4 million in last year’s budget to roll out the initiative, and this year’s budget proposal includes an additional $12.5 million to implement the program for the upcoming fiscal year ending in June 2027.

Do you like this idea? Well, like all things Democrats offer for free, there is a catch.

As Kevin Dalton pointed out on Twitter/X, this program has a direct connection to Newsom’s wife and a charity she runs:

Gavin Newsom just announced a shiny new taxpayer funded program giving free diapers to newborns leaving California hospitals and his administration is partnering with Baby2Baby with almost $20 MILLION in state funds to manufacture them.

I’m sure it’s a total coincidence that one of Baby2Baby’s Co-CEOs, Norah Weinstein, sits on the board of Gavin Newsom’s wife’s California Partners Project.

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IRS Erroneously Awarded Millions in Tax Breaks to Noncitizens.

 WHAT HAPPENED: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) paid $213 million in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC) to foreign citizens with nonwork Social Security numbers in 2023 and 2024, according to a report from the agency’s inspector general. These numbers, issued for limited purposes such as accessing services, are not intended for work eligibility or tax credit claims.

 DETAIL: The report said the IRS lacks sufficient data from the Social Security Administration (SSA) to determine why certain nonwork Social Security numbers were issued, limiting the agency’s ability to automatically block improper claims. Investigators found the IRS identified about 12,600 suspicious returns through risk-based screening and manually reviewed roughly 5,100 of them, preventing nearly $11 million in improper payments. Auditors said the IRS’s current system relies heavily on manual reviews and cannot efficiently detect all ineligible claims because the agency does not receive complete information from the SSA about whether the Social Security numbers were issued solely for federal benefits, which would disqualify recipients from claiming the credit. The watchdog report also noted that refundable tax credits remain highly vulnerable to fraud, with the Earned Income Tax Credit alone generating an estimated $21.1 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2025.

 IMPACT: The misuse of the EITC, a program designed to support low-income workers, not only drains taxpayer funds but also undermines trust in government oversight. In 2025 alone, the IRS estimated $21.1 billion in erroneous EITC payments, with both fraud and unintentional errors contributing to the problem. This ongoing issue highlights the need for improved interagency cooperation and data-sharing to prevent future losses.

 KEY QUOTE: “Having timely, updated, reliable eligibility information would enable immediate eligibility determinations and would avoid costly, resources intensive, post-filing determinations,” said Kenneth Corbin, chief of the IRS Taxpayer Services Division.

 FLASHBACK: In 2017, the inspector general recommended that the IRS collaborate with the SSA to improve data-sharing and prevent misuse of nonwork Social Security numbers. Despite initial exploration of the issue, no viable solution has been implemented in the years since.

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