The Return of the Kleptocracy in America Report — Round-up
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We have the backend database for our local investigative platform up and running. We’re now using it to train our LLM to help identify patterns in corruption networks. The amount of local corruption has shocked even us, so we are making our platform far more robust, granular and interactive than we had originally envisioned with our first draft. We’re here to make a dent in local corruption, not just study it, so to do that we need to build on what we have. We’re not sharing more details at the moment because we’re testing several new potential features. But we’re pretty excited.
In the meantime, because many of you have contributed to the construction of our platform, we wanted to start sharing what your generous donations have helped us build, thus far. What literally took us weeks in the past to accomplish, now takes 15 minutes. We can pull together the most relevant corruption stories from all 56 states, territories and Washington DC, summarize them and push out news about it to you and still do other things. We’ll be enriching the dataset and the analytical tools, but we wanted to give you a quick overview of recent local corruption news.
This will now be a weekly feature (as opposed to monthly), and there will be additional related features. This issue catches you up from the beginning of August until now.
Alabama
Anthony Britain Jr., a candidate in last month's Florence mayoral election, was arrested on a felony embezzlement warrant from Mississippi. He is currently in custody at the Lauderdale County jail.
Mayoral Candidate Arrested on Embezzlement Warrant
Alaska
Alaska's Attorney General Tregarrick Taylor has taken the extraordinary step of referring corruption allegations against his own Department of Law to a state grand jury, highlighting systemic concerns about judicial and prosecutorial integrity in the state. This self-referral comes amid broader questions about restricted grand jury access and potential corruption within Alaska's legal system, representing a rare instance of executive accountability at the highest levels of state government.
Alaska AG Refers Corruption Complaint Against Department of Law to Grand Jury
Arizona
Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account program became the centerpiece of a massive $1.6 million fraud case that exposed critical weaknesses in the state's educational funding oversight. Fraudulent vendor schemes exploited lax controls within the ESA system, prompting multiple state agencies to completely reevaluate their safeguards and student funding mechanisms to prevent future exploitation.
Arizona's ESA program at the center of $1.6M fraud case
California
A CalMatters investigation found that California legislators accepted over $1 million in travel, lodging and hospitality from lobbyists and trade groups in the past year. Meanwhile, the Anaheim Chamber of Commerce is working to rebuild after nearly folding following an FBI corruption probe that led to former leader Todd Ament's conviction. The chamber is seeking $260,000 in restitution, claiming Ament 'fleeced' the organization and exploited its reputation for personal enrichment. An OC consultant gets 6 months in federal prison after a corruption scheme. California’s Fair Political Practices Commission fined a slew of local officials for corruption. And Los Angeles City Councilmember Curren Price has been hit with two additional public corruption charges, bringing the total to 12 felony counts including embezzlement and conflict of interest.
California lawmakers received more than $1 million in gifts and trips last year
Anaheim Chamber of Commerce seeks to reinvent itself after FBI political corruption probe
L.A. Councilman Curren Price faces two new criminal counts in corruption case
O.C. Political Consultant Gets 6 Months in Federal Prison in Corruption Scheme
Fair Political Practices Commission Fines Local Officials for Ethics Violations
Connecticut
Connecticut faces a multi-pronged corruption crisis affecting both its legislative and executive branches, with federal investigators targeting high-profile officials across state government. State Senator Douglas McCrory is under federal investigation for possible bribery and money laundering related to nonprofit funding, while former Deputy Budget Director Konstantinos Diamantis faces a federal trial for orchestrating bribery schemes in school construction contracts.
Connecticut Senator McCrory Subject of Federal Corruption Investigation
Connecticut Deputy Budget Director Faces Federal Corruption Trial Over School Construction Bribery
Delaware
Delaware has taken proactive steps to combat government corruption by establishing its first-ever Office of Inspector General, a nonpartisan agency designed to detect and investigate fraud, waste, and mismanagement within state government. This unprecedented move follows high-profile accountability failures and represents the state's commitment to restoring public trust through systematic oversight and transparency measures.
Delaware Launches First Inspector General Office to Fight Government Corruption
Florida
Florida's Osceola County is grappling with ongoing corruption investigations that continue to expand under new leadership. Sheriff Chris Blackmon expects additional charges against department members as investigations into former Sheriff Marcos Lopez's administration deepen, with two employees already arrested amid a four-year probe into alleged misconduct.
Osceola County sheriff expects more charges as internal investigation deepens.
Indiana
Indiana is confronting questions about diversity and equity in public contracting as Governor Eric Holcomb's administration seeks legal clarity on whether state diversity requirements violate constitutional equal-protection provisions. This request follows legal challenges to minority and women-owned business set-aside programs, highlighting ongoing tensions between diversity initiatives and constitutional compliance in public procurement.
Braun administration seeks legal opinion on business diversity programs
Louisiana
Louisiana's law enforcement agencies have been swept by an unprecedented wave of corruption scandals, with multiple officers across different parishes arrested within a five-day period on charges including malfeasance, battery, prostitution while on duty, and insurance fraud. The corruption crisis extends to New Orleans, where Mayor LaToya Cantrell faces federal charges for conspiracy, fraud, and obstruction related to allegations that she used taxpayer funds to conceal a romantic relationship, resulting in her suspension from federal housing transactions.
Louisiana law enforcement sees wave of corruption arrests — three cases in five days
New Orleans Mayor Faces New Federal Corruption Investigation
New Orleans Mayor Pleads Not Guilty to Corruption Charges
Maryland
Baltimore lost more than $800,000 to a fraudster who tricked employees at the city's Department of Accounts Payable (AP) into changing a vendor's bank account information, according to an Inspector General (OIG) report.
Baltimore lost $800,000 in a vendor payment fraud scheme, inspector general finds
Massachusetts
In a long-running episode, Former Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson received a one-month prison sentence for wire fraud involving a staff bonus scheme, while Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins faces federal extortion charges for allegedly pressuring a cannabis company for stock options in exchange for licensing support. Remarkably, in another case that involved pot and extortion, Jasiel F. Correia II, the former Mayor of Fall River, Mass., was sentenced in connection with a scheme to defraud investors and extorting and conspiring to extort marijuana vendors for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Suffolk County Sheriff indicted on federal extortion charges in cannabis bribery scandal
Former Fall River Mayor Sentenced to Six Years in Federal Prison
Michigan
Michigan's corruption crisis is epitomized by the city of Hamtramck, where systematic governmental breakdown has led to widespread criminal charges and administrative upheaval. A comprehensive investigation led to the firing of the police chief, city manager, and special investigator, while city council members face election fraud charges, raising questions about the fundamental legitimacy of the city's governance structures.
Hamtramck reels from a cascade of corruption charges and probes at City Hall
Minnesota
Minnesota faces multiple large-scale fraud schemes targeting state social programs, with investigations revealing systematic exploitation of public safety nets. The FBI is investigating massive fraud within the state's Housing Stabilization Service program, where costs ballooned from $2.5 million to $104 million as companies exploited housing and addiction crises, while Abdifatah Yusuf was convicted of defrauding the Medicaid program of over $7 million through a fake healthcare agency operated from a mailbox.
Massive scheme to defraud Minnesota's Housing Stabilization Services
Abdifatah Yusuf was found guilty of bilking the Medicaid program out of over $7.2 million
Missouri
Missouri law enforcement faces federal civil rights charges as St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery was indicted for allegedly ordering the handcuffing of jail commissioner Tammy Ross in February. Montgomery faces up to one year in prison if convicted and is simultaneously fighting to maintain his position in state court, highlighting the intersection of civil rights violations and official misconduct.
St. Louis Sheriff Alfred Montgomery indicted by federal grand jury for civil rights violations
New Jersey
Former Jersey City School Board President Sudhan Thomas pleaded guilty to accepting $35,000 in cash bribes from a tax attorney in exchange for steering government contracts, facing up to five years in prison and permanent disqualification from public office. Former Manville Police Chief Thomas Herbst was sentenced to seven years in prison. The conviction includes abuse of authority, sexual harassment, and exploitation of subordinates, with misconduct occurring while on duty and inside police headquarters.
Former Jersey City School Board President pleads guilty to bribery
Police Chief Sentenced to Seven Years for Misconduct and Sexual Assault
New York
New York's Attorney General conviction review bureau, established in 2012 to investigate wrongful convictions, has been largely ineffective, intervening in only a handful of cases despite receiving hundreds of pleas. Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams' chief advisor, Ingrid Lewis-Martin and six others face corruption charges, including bribery conspiracies involving migrant shelter contracts and development projects, with Lewis-Martin allegedly accepting over $75,000 in bribes. The corruption extends to the electoral process itself, as former Bronx District Leader Nicole Torres received a two-year prison sentence for extorting payments from residents to secure poll worker positions, while the state's Attorney General conviction review bureau has proven largely ineffective in addressing wrongful convictions due to political restrictions.
New York's Attorney General Conviction Review Bureau Hampered by Politics
Former top aide to NYC mayor among 7 facing new charges in City Hall corruption probe
Ohio
A Columbus criminal organization has been indicted on human trafficking and corruption charges involving violence and drug dealing, while the state continues to grapple with systemic integrity issues within its governmental and law enforcement institutions.
Columbus criminal organization indicted on human trafficking and corruption charges
Pennsylvania
Queen Naja of York was convicted of conspiracy in a million-dollar scheme that defrauded the IRS through the use of false trust documents and fraudulent tax refund claims, with the proceeds used for luxury purchases.
Pennsylvania Woman Convicted in Million-Dollar Government Fraud Scheme
Tennessee
Former Nashville police officer Sean Herman was sentenced to probation for official misconduct after participating in an adult video featuring a mock traffic stop while on duty, while former Tennessee House Speaker Glen Casada and aide Cade Cothren face federal bribery charges related to kickback schemes involving state-funded mailing services.
Fired Nashville officer enters 'best interest' plea after OnlyFans video scandal
Trial begins this week for former Tennessee House Speaker, aide on federal public corruption charges
Texas
Last but not least, Kinney County Judge Tim Andrade refused to provide public records about County Auditor Kendra Jones, whose controversial tenure led the County Commissioners Court to unanimously declare that she had abused her authority and lost their confidence. Jones had previously been escorted from her position as Wichita County auditor by security, raising concerns about transparency and accountability in local government financial oversight.
South Texas Judge Rebuffs Records Request About Scandal-Plagued Auditor
