Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced a $20 billion rescue package for Argentina’s president Javier Milei, including currency swap agreements, direct peso purchases (only the fourth time since 1996 the U.S. bought another country’s currency), and Treasury bond purchases. The bailout …
Scott BessentDonald TrumpJavier MileiRob CitroneTreasury Departmentcorruptionconflicts-of-interestforeign-policycronyismfinancial-fraud
The New York Appellate Division, in a unanimous five-judge decision, threw out the $527 million civil fraud judgment against President Donald Trump and his companies, ruling the penalty was “excessive” and violated the Eighth Amendment’s prohibition on excessive fines. The appeals …
New York State Appellate DivisionDonald TrumpTrump OrganizationLetitia JamesArthur Engoron+2 morefinancial fraudny attorney generaltrump organizationappeals courteighth amendment+2 more
An extensive financial investigation revealed a sophisticated insider trading scheme involving the $MELANIA memecoin. 24 crypto wallets purchased $2.6 million in tokens just moments before the public launch, with one wallet tied to cryptocurrency entrepreneur Hayden Davis generating a $39 million …
Donald TrumpTrump AdministrationHayden DavisMelania Trumpcryptogovernment-contractsinsider-tradingfinancial-fraud
Manhattan Supreme Court Judge Arthur Engoron issued a devastating 92-page ruling ordering Donald Trump to pay $354.9 million in disgorgement plus $98.6 million in prejudgment interest (totaling approximately $454 million), and barred Trump from serving as an officer or director of any New York …
Arthur EngoronDonald TrumpLetitia JamesDonald Trump Jr.Eric Trump+3 morefinancial fraudny attorney generaltrump organizationcivil fraud judgmentarthur engoron+1 more
Donald Trump took the witness stand in the New York civil fraud trial threatening his business empire, delivering combative and rambling testimony that prompted Judge Arthur Engoron to repeatedly admonish him to keep his answers short and responsive. Trump used the witness stand as a platform to …
On March 15, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice arrested Ho Wan Kwok (Guo Wengui) in a landmark twelve-count federal indictment alleging a complex, multi-year fraud scheme defrauding thousands of victims of approximately $1 billion. The sophisticated conspiracy involved fraudulent investments …
Guo WenguiHo Wan KwokKin Ming JeDepartment of JusticeSteve Bannon+1 morefinancial-fraudmoney-launderinginfluence-operationsinternational-crimeinvestment-scam
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a comprehensive 220-page civil lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court against Donald Trump, his three adult children (Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka), former CFO Allen Weisselberg, former controller Jeffrey McConney, and ten Trump Organization entities, …
New York Attorney General Letitia James filed a motion to compel Donald Trump and his two eldest children (Ivanka and Donald Jr.) to appear for depositions and provide documents, publicly revealing for the first time that her three-year investigation had “uncovered significant evidence that …
The New York Times obtained and published a comprehensive investigation into President Donald Trump’s tax returns covering more than 20 years, revealing that Trump paid just $750 in federal income taxes in both 2016 (the year he won the presidency) and 2017 (his first year in office). The …
Donald TrumpNew York TimesIvanka TrumpTrump Organizationtax fraudfinancial fraudtrump organizationtax avoidancemedia investigation
Vivek Ramaswamy’s Axovant Sciences announced its Alzheimer’s drug intepirdine failed clinical trials, causing the stock to crash 75% in one day from $200 to eventually 40 cents. Ramaswamy had sold $40 million of his personal stake at the peak while hyping the drug in media. The drug had …
Vivek RamaswamyAxovant SciencesRoivant SciencesGlaxoSmithKlinevivek-ramaswamyfinancial-fraudpump-and-dumpaxovantroivant+2 more
Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin announces that Braidy Industries, a new venture led by metals industry veteran Craig Bouchard, will build what is described as “the most sophisticated aluminum mill in the world” in Greenup County near Ashland, promising 600 well-paying jobs. One week later, …
Matt BevinCraig BouchardBraidy IndustriesKentucky LegislatureMitch McConnell+1 morecrony-capitalismkentuckycorporate-welfarestate-capturekleptocracy+2 more
President George W. Bush signed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) on April 20, 2005, fundamentally weaponizing bankruptcy law against student borrowers while preserving corporate bankruptcy as a strategic tool. The law amended Section 523(a)(8) to make private …
George W. BushMBNASallie Maebankruptcy-lawstudent-debtregulatory-capturefinancial-fraud
Charles H. Keating Jr. was indicted on 42 counts of fraud and racketeering related to the Lincoln Savings and Loan collapse. The indictment exposed massive financial fraud involving risky junk bond investments that led to billions in losses for investors and taxpayers.
Charles H. Keating Jr.Charles Keating IIIfinancial-fraudsavings-and-loan-crisiscorporate-crimeracketeeringwhite-collar-crime
Charles H. Keating Jr.’s Lincoln Savings and Loan Association in Irvine, California, was discovered to have $135 million in unreported losses and substantially exceeded risky investment limits. The bank was selling high-risk, uninsured junk bonds to 22,000 unsuspecting investors, many of whom …
Charles H. Keating Jr.Lincoln Savings and Loan Associationfinancial-fraudsavings-and-loan-crisiscorporate-crimeinvestment-fraudwhite-collar-crime
The Omaha Sun publishes a bombshell investigation on March 30, 1972, revealing that Boys Town, the iconic Catholic charity founded by Father Edward Flanagan, is sitting on a $209 million endowment—making it richer than any Nebraska company and ranking approximately 230th in Fortune magazine’s …
Boys TownWarren BuffettPaul WilliamsStanford LipseyOmaha Sun Newspapers+1 moretax-exempt-abuseinstitutional-corruptionnonprofit-fraudinvestigative-journalismfinancial-fraud
Between 1942 and 1949, U.S. employers withhold 10% of bracero workers’ wages—totaling at least $32 million—depositing the funds with Wells Fargo Bank and Union Trust Company of San Francisco for transfer to Mexican savings accounts through the Bank of Mexico and Banco de Credito Agricola. The …
Wells Fargo BankBank of MexicoBanco de Credito AgricolaMexican governmentU.S. agricultural employerswage-theftfinancial-fraudlabor-exploitationcorporate-complicityinstitutional-corruption
The California Gold Rush of 1849 created a lawless environment that enabled systematic land fraud and banking corruption as the region lacked effective legal institutions. When gold was discovered at Sutter’s Mill, California remained technically under American military occupation following …
Palmer (San Francisco banker)Pio PicoPeralta familyCalifornia state governmentsystematic-corruptionland-speculationfinancial-fraudinstitutional-failureeconomic-extraction