Northrop Grumman Corporation and its predecessor TRW Inc. agreed to pay $325 million to settle False Claims Act allegations that they provided and billed the National Reconnaissance Office for defective microelectronic parts used in classified spy satellites over a decade-long period from 1992 to …
Northrop GrummanTRW Inc.Department of JusticeNational Reconnaissance OfficeRobert Ferro+1 moredefense contractorsfraudfalse claims actwhistleblowersintelligence agencies+3 more
Senator Arlen Specter announces on March 24, 2009, that he will not support the Employee Free Choice Act, effectively killing labor’s top legislative priority despite Democratic control of the presidency and both houses of Congress. EFCA would have allowed workers to form unions through …
Barack ObamaU.S. Chamber of CommerceBusiness RoundtableAFL-CIOU.S. Senate+1 morelaborlabor-law-reformcorporate-lobbyingcard-checkfilibuster+1 more
Following Rick Santelli’s CNBC rant criticizing Obama’s mortgage bailout, the Koch brothers’ network immediately mobilized to create the Tea Party movement. Within hours, Americans for Prosperity registered TaxDayTeaParty.com, while other conservative organizations quickly …
Rick SantelliDavid KochCharles KochEric OdomAmericans for Prosperity+1 morekoch-networkastroturftea-partypolitical-manipulationamericans-for-prosperity+1 more
Trump Entertainment Resorts filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on February 17, 2009, after missing a $53.1 million bond payment, marking the sixth bankruptcy of a Trump casino company in 18 years. Just four days before the filing, on February 13, Donald Trump resigned as chairman of the …
Donald TrumpTrump Entertainment Resortsbankruptcybusiness failureatlantic citycasinosfinancial history+2 more
Blackwater Worldwide officially changed its name to Xe Services LLC in a strategic rebranding effort to distance the company from its toxic reputation following the 2007 Nisour Square massacre, congressional investigations documenting 195 shooting incidents in Iraq, and widespread accusations of war …
Erik PrinceBlackwaterXe Servicesprivate-militarycorporate-impunityaccountability-crisisreputation-launderingwar-crimes
President Barack Obama dramatically expands the CIA’s drone strike program in his first year in office, authorizing more strikes than George W. Bush conducted during his entire presidency. The expansion transforms armed drones from a limited counterterrorism tool into a systematic …
Barack ObamaCIAJohn BrennanLeon Panettadronesobamaciawar-crimestargeted-killing+3 more
Despite widespread evidence of fraud in the 2008 financial crisis, the Obama administration prosecuted zero major Wall Street executives, contrasting starkly with the Savings and Loan crisis when 1,706 bankers were sent to prison. Instead, the DOJ pursued civil settlements totaling tens of billions, …
Eric HolderDepartment of JusticeWall Street BanksLanny BreuerCovington & Burlingfinancial-crisiswall-streetimpunityrevolving-doortoo-big-to-fail
Comprehensive organizational analysis reveals Americans for Prosperity (AFP) as the Koch brothers’ primary astroturfing operation, transforming billionaire corporate interests into fake ‘grassroots’ movements. Founded in 2004 when Citizens for a Sound Economy Foundation was …
Americans for ProsperityCharles KochDavid KochKoch IndustriesTea Party movement+1 moreorganizational-profileastroturf-organizingkoch-networktea-partyfake-grassroots+4 more
On December 11, 2008, FBI agents arrested Bernard L. Madoff for orchestrating the largest Ponzi scheme in history, worth approximately $65 billion and affecting 37,000 victims across 136 countries. Madoff, former chairman of the Nasdaq Stock Market, confessed to his sons on December 9 that his …
Bernie MadoffFederal Bureau of InvestigationSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Harry Markopolosfraudregulatory-capturesecponzi-schemefinancial-crime+3 more
Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and his chief of staff John Harris were arrested at the governor’s home on federal corruption charges, including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and solicitation of bribery. The 76-page FBI affidavit revealed that Blagojevich was captured on …
Rod BlagojevichBarack ObamaPatrick FitzgeraldDonald Trumpgubernatorial corruptiondemocratic partyillinoisbriberywire fraud+2 more
The Department of Justice approved Delta Air Lines’ $2.6 billion stock-swap merger with Northwest Airlines, creating the world’s largest airline and triggering a decade-long consolidation wave that would reduce major U.S. carriers from ten to four dominant players controlling …
Delta Air LinesNorthwest AirlinesDepartment of JusticeAntitrust Divisionantitrustconsolidationmergeroligopolyregulatory-capture+2 more
On October 3, 2008, President George W. Bush signed the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) into law as part of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (TARP legislation), requiring health insurers to provide mental health and substance use …
George W. BushPaul WellstonePete DomeniciDepartment of LaborEmployee Benefits Security Administration+1 morehealthcaremental-healthinsurance-fraudregulatory-captureenforcement-failure+2 more
The House of Representatives voted on the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act (TARP), with senators who supported the $700 billion Wall Street bailout having received an average of $3,986,723 from the financial sector since 1989—39% more than bailout opponents who received an average of $1,671,029. …
The U.S. government authorized an $85 billion bailout of American International Group (AIG), with Goldman Sachs receiving $12.9 billion—the largest individual payout. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, a former Goldman Sachs CEO, played a central role in the decision, despite significant conflicts of …
Henry PaulsonLloyd BlankfeinDon Jesterfinancial-capturebailoutwall-streetregulatory-failurebanking-crisis
On September 16, 2008, just one day after allowing Lehman Brothers to file for bankruptcy, the Federal Reserve provided an $85 billion two-year emergency loan to American International Group (AIG) to prevent the insurance giant’s collapse and contain spreading financial contagion. In exchange …
American International GroupFederal ReserveBen BernankeTimothy GeithnerHenry Paulson+2 morefinancial-crisisbailouttoo-big-to-failregulatory-captureexecutive-compensation+1 more
Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on September 15, 2008, declaring $639 billion in assets and $613 billion in debts, making it the largest bankruptcy filing in U.S. history. The firm’s assets far surpassed those of previous bankrupt giants including …
Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas judges Mark Ciavarella and Michael Conahan are exposed for accepting $2.8 million in illegal payments from the builder and co-owner of PA Child Care, a for-profit juvenile detention facility. From 2003 to 2008, the judges altered the lives of more than 2,500 …
Mark CiavarellaMichael ConahanPA Child CareLuzerne County Court of Common PleasPennsylvania Supreme Court+1 moreprivate-prisonjudicial-corruptionjuvenile-justiceprison-industrial-complexkickbacks+2 more
On September 9, 2008, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller filed a criminal complaint against Agriprocessors Inc. and five company officials for 9,311 child labor law violations that occurred from September 9, 2007, through May 12, 2008, at the company’s Postville meatpacking plant. The magnitude …
Agriprocessors Inc.Abraham Aaron RubashkinSholom RubashkinIowa Attorney General Tom MillerIowa Department of Laborlabor-exploitationchild-laborcorporate-impunityregulatory-failureworkplace-safety
Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson announces that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-sponsored enterprises backing $5 trillion in home mortgages, will be placed into conservatorship under the newly created Federal Housing Finance Agency. The seizure represents the largest government …
Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and ordered to pay $23,134,695 in restitution for his role in the massive congressional corruption scandal. This Washington D.C. sentencing was for conspiracy to commit honest services fraud, honest services fraud involving …
Jack AbramoffMichael ScanlonNative American TribesU.S. District CourtDepartment of Justice+4 morecorruptionlobbyingabramoffsentencingrestitution+2 more
By 2008, the Bush administration had privatized 70% of the intelligence budget to private contractors, creating a ‘shadow intelligence community’ with unprecedented corporate access to classified information. Associate DNI Ronald Sanders confirmed that 37,000 ‘core’ …
Bush AdministrationBooz Allen HamiltonSAICCACINSA+2 moreintelligence-privatizationcontractorssurveillancebooz-allenshadow-government
General Dynamics Armament and Technical Products agreed to pay $4,058,750 to settle federal fraud charges that it defectively manufactured or failed to properly test components for Navy aircraft and submarines, then fraudulently billed the government despite knowing the equipment did not meet …
General DynamicsBenton J. CampbellDefense Criminal Investigative ServiceNavydefense-contractorsfraudgeneral-dynamicssubmarinesdepartment-of-justice
The Federal Communications Commission votes 3-2 to punish Comcast for its “surreptitious interference” with BitTorrent uploads, marking the first time any U.S. broadband provider has been found to violate net neutrality principles. The Commission formally adopted an order finding that …
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)Comcast CorporationElectronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)Kevin Martinnet-neutralityregulatory-capturetelecommunicationsfcccomcast
Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court issues classified ruling finding NSA’s warrantless surveillance programs violated the Fourth Amendment and FISA statute on a systematic basis. The court documented that intelligence agencies had misled judges about the scope and nature of surveillance …
FISA CourtNSADepartment of JusticeMichael HaydenKeith Alexander+1 morefisa-court-rulingconstitutional-violationnsa-surveillancewarrantless-surveillancefourth-amendment
U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), the longest-serving Republican senator in history and former President Pro Tempore, was indicted on seven felony counts of making false statements on his financial disclosure forms. The indictment alleged that Stevens knowingly failed to report receiving more than …
Ted StevensBill AllenEric Holdercongressional corruptionrepublican partyalaskaprosecutorial misconductethics violations+1 more
On July 24, 2008, Bain Capital and Thomas H. Lee Partners completed a historic $26.7 billion leveraged buyout of Clear Channel Communications, the nation’s largest radio broadcaster with over 1,200 stations. The transaction, led by Bain Capital (founded by Mitt Romney in 1984), loaded the …
Bain CapitalThomas H. Lee PartnersClear Channel CommunicationsiHeartMediaMitt Romney+1 moremedia-consolidationprivate-equityleveraged-buyoutregulatory-capturedebt-loading+3 more
Donald Trump sold the Palm Beach estate to Russian businessman Dmitry
Rybolovlev for $95 million in July 2008. The structure was demolished in 2016
and the land subdivided; subsequent lot sales totaled roughly $108 million.
Dmitry RybolovlevDonald TrumpTrump Organizationrussian-oligarchsfinancial-crimesepstein-networkmoney-launderingreal-estate+1 more
Congress passed the FISA Amendments Act of 2008, fundamentally expanding the president’s warrantless surveillance authority while granting retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies that participated in the NSA’s illegal domestic wiretapping program since 2001. The Senate voted …
U.S. CongressGeorge W. BushSenateHouse of RepresentativesTelecommunications Companies+2 morefisa-amendmentstelecom-immunitywarrantless-surveillancecongressional-legislationsection-702+2 more
Bank of America completed its acquisition of Countrywide Financial on July 1, 2008, purchasing the nation’s largest mortgage lender for approximately $4 billion in a Federal Reserve-approved transaction that would ultimately cost Bank of America and its shareholders at least $50 billion in …
Angelo MoziloCountrywide FinancialBank of AmericaSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC)Department of Justice+1 morefinancial-crisisregulatory-capturepredatory-lendingfraudaccountability-crisis+1 more
U.S. Attorney Alexander Acosta approves a controversial plea deal allowing Jeffrey Epstein to plead guilty to state charges of soliciting prostitution from a minor, avoiding federal prosecution. The agreement was negotiated in secret without informing victims, violating the Crime Victims’ …
Alexander AcostaJeffrey EpsteinAlan DershowitzKenneth StarrFBIprosecutorial-misconductinstitutional-capturevictim-rights-violationsplea-dealscorruption
Ruslana Korshunova, a 20-year-old model, died after falling from her 9th-floor Manhattan apartment, officially ruled a suicide. Friends and colleagues disputed she was suicidal, describing her as happy days before. She had visited Epstein’s island at age 18 in 2006. Her death fits patterns of …
Ruslana KorshunovaJeffrey EpsteinVirginia GiuffreValentina Kutenkovaruslana-korshunovasuspicious-deathjeffrey-epsteinwitness-eliminationmanhattan+2 more
On May 12, 2008, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) deployed 900 federal agents to execute the largest worksite enforcement raid in U.S. history at the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse and meatpacking plant in Postville, Iowa, arresting 389 employees—nearly 20% of the town’s total …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)Department of Homeland SecurityAgriprocessors Inc.Sholom RubashkinU.S. Attorney's Office Northern District of Iowalabor-exploitationimmigration-enforcementselective-prosecutioncorporate-impunityinstitutional-capture
The Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s strict photo voter ID law in Crawford v. Marion County, ruling 6-3 that the state’s interest in preventing voter fraud and maintaining public confidence in elections justified the burden imposed on voters without qualifying identification. The decision …
Supreme CourtJohn Paul StevensIndiana LegislatureACLURepublican National Committeevoting-rightssupreme-courtvoter-idvoter-suppressionindiana
On April 13, 2008, Google completed its $3.1 billion acquisition of DoubleClick, the dominant online advertising server and ad exchange operator. The merger, approved by the Federal Trade Commission in December 2007, combined Google’s search advertising dominance with DoubleClick’s …
GoogleDoubleClickFederal Trade CommissionPamela Jones Harbour (dissenting FTC Commissioner)David Rosenblatt (DoubleClick CEO)googledoubleclickmergerantitrustftc+3 more
Between September 2008 and October 2009, Sprint Nextel disclosed GPS location data for wireless subscribers over 8 million times via a specialized secure government portal, illustrating the extensive telecommunications surveillance capabilities during this period.
Sprint NextelNSABush AdministrationLaw Enforcement Agenciessurveillancensasprintmobile-surveillancetelecommunications-integration+2 more
Bear Stearns, the fifth-largest investment bank in the United States with $400 billion in reported consolidated assets, collapsed in March 2008 after its liquidity pool plummeted from $18.1 billion on March 10 to just $2 billion on March 13. The firm had leveraged its capital up to 35 …
Bear StearnsJPMorgan ChaseFederal Reserve Bank of New YorkBen BernankeTimothy Geithner+2 morefinancial-crisisregulatory-capturetoo-big-to-failbailoutaccountability-crisis
Staff Sgt. Ryan Maseth, a 24-year-old Green Beret from Pittsburgh, was electrocuted in a shower at Radwaniyah Palace Complex near Baghdad on January 2, 2008, when an improperly grounded water pump installed by KBR short-circuited and sent electrical current through the shower water. Pentagon …
Ryan MasethKBRHalliburtonDepartment of DefenseDefense Contract Management Agency+2 moreprivate-militarycorporate-impunityaccountability-crisiswar-crimescorporate-negligence
In 2008, Palantir Technologies officially released Palantir Gotham, its flagship platform designed for large-scale data analysis, integration, and visualization for government military and intelligence operations. The CIA became one of Gotham’s first customers in 2008, using the platform to …
Palantir TechnologiesCentral Intelligence AgencyIntelligence Communitypalantirpalantir-gothamsurveillance-infrastructureciadata-analysis+1 more
Senator Trent Lott (R-MS), former Senate Majority Leader, abruptly resigned from the Senate effective 11:30 PM on December 18, 2007, explicitly timing his departure to avoid the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act. The new ethics law, taking effect January 1, 2008, would have required a …
NSA senior executive Thomas Drake reports to DOD Inspector General massive waste in the $1.2 billion Trailblazer surveillance program and systematic constitutional violations. Drake documented how NSA chose expensive, ineffective contractor solutions over proven internal alternatives while expanding …
Thomas DrakeNSADOD Inspector GeneralTrailblazer ProgramSAIC+2 morensa-whistleblowingtrailblazer-scandalcontractor-corruptionsurveillance-wasteconstitutional-violation
Gul Rahman, an Afghan detainee, dies of hypothermia at a CIA black site in Afghanistan known as the “Salt Pit” after being shackled half-naked to a concrete floor in a freezing cell overnight. Rahman’s death is ruled a homicide by the CIA’s medical examiner, yet no one is …
Gul RahmanCIAAfghanistantortureciablack-siteswar-crimeshomicide+2 more
The Associated Press publishes a comprehensive investigation revealing that Comcast, the nation’s largest cable company and internet service provider, is secretly interfering with peer-to-peer file sharing applications including BitTorrent by forging network packets to block uploads. The AP …
Comcast CorporationAssociated PressElectronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)TorrentFreaknet-neutralityregulatory-capturetelecommunicationscomcastcorporate-deception
Erik Prince testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform for nearly four hours, defending Blackwater’s operations in Iraq despite overwhelming evidence of excessive force and lack of accountability. The hearing came weeks after the September 16, 2007 Nisour Square …
Erik PrinceBlackwaterHouse Oversight CommitteeHenry Waxmanprivate-militaryiraq-waraccountability-crisiscongressional-oversightcorporate-impunity
The Donald J. Trump Foundation paid $258,000 in charitable funds to purchase a six-foot portrait of Donald Trump at a charity auction in Palm Beach, Florida. The portrait, painted by artist William Quigley, was supposed to be sold to benefit charity, but instead the Foundation used tax-exempt …
Donald TrumpTrump Foundationtrump foundationcharity fraudself-dealingtax violationsmar-a-lago
Blackwater private military contractors’ killing of 17 Iraqi civilians in Baghdad’s Nisour Square exposes systematic corporate-state fusion accountability crisis where privatized government military functions operate beyond constitutional and legal constraints. The massacre demonstrates …
Blackwater WorldwideErik PrinceState DepartmentCentral Intelligence AgencyIraqi Government+3 moresystematic-corporate-capturesystematic-constitutional-violationblackwaterconstitutional-constraint-bypassprivatized-government-functions+10 more
The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act took full effect after President Bush signed it into law, implementing new ethics rules designed to slow the revolving door between Congress and lobbying firms. The law extended cooling-off periods from one to two years for senators and established a …
A Department of Justice Inspector General audit revealed that the FBI’s terrorist watchlist contained approximately 35% errors, with large portions of the list governed by no formal processes for updating or removing records. The report exposed systematic failures in a watchlist system that …
FBIDepartment of Justice Inspector GeneralTerrorist Screening Centerfbi-abusewatchlistsno-fly-listcivil-libertiesdue-process
Questcor Pharmaceuticals implemented an overnight price increase for H.P. Acthar Gel from $1,600 to $23,000 per vial on August 27, 2007, launching a decade-long price gouging scheme that would eventually raise the drug’s price by 97,000% from its 2001 level. Questcor had acquired Acthar—a …
Questcor PharmaceuticalsMallinckrodtFederal Trade CommissionHumanaCongress+1 morepharmaceutical-industrydrug-pricinghealthcarecorporate-fraudbribery+2 more
In 2007, Verizon was deeply involved in NSA surveillance programs, participating in classified intelligence collection efforts during the Bush Administration, demonstrating the close relationship between telecommunications companies and national security agencies.
Bush AdministrationNSAVerizon Communicationssurveillancensaverizongovernment-contractsurveillance-industrial-complex+1 more
The systematic politicization of the Department of Justice Voting Section under the Bush administration culminated in scandal and resignations as congressional investigations revealed that career civil rights attorneys had been replaced with partisan operatives who blocked voting rights enforcement …
Alberto GonzalesHans von SpakovskyBradley SchlozmanJohn TannerMonica Goodlingvoting-rightsdoj-politicizationvoter-suppressioncivil-rights-divisionbush-administration