Elon Musk, the world&#8217;s most successful businessman and President Donald Trump&#8217;s top White House adviser, said this week that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has uncovered shocking cases of fraud within the federal government.
Musk made the remarks during a Monday meeting with the president and his cabinet secretaries.
&#8220;One case of fraud was with the Small Business Administration, where they were handing out loans—$330 million worth of loans—to people under the age of 11,&#8221; Musk said. &#8220;I think the youngest, Kelly, was a 9-month-old who got a $100,000 loan.&#8221;
&#8220;That’s a very precocious baby we’re talking about here,&#8221; Musk quipped.
SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler followed up Musk&#8217;s remarks by saying, &#8220;We&#8217;re tackling the fraud, waste, and abuse at the agency.&#8221;
&#8220;We’ve seen, you know, hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud go unprosecuted, so we’re taking that on,&#8221; she said. &#8220;We have a zero-tolerance policy for fraud, and we continue to crack down on it and make sure people are held accountable.&#8221;
Trump said that they have found &#8220;far too much&#8221; fraud, waste, and abuse in the government over the last couple of months.
&#8220;It’s pure fraud,&#8221; he said. &#8220;We like to use the words &#8216;waste&#8217; and &#8216;abuse&#8217; because they sort of sound good, but many of these things are pure fraud.&#8221;
WATCH:
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Elon Musk at The White House cabinet meeting: “A clear case of fraud was with the SBA, they were handing out $330 million worth of loans to people under the age of 11.. The youngest was a 9 month-old, who got a $100,000 loan… That&#39;s a very precocious baby” <a href="https://t.co/dAt4WWQ3iL">pic.twitter.com/dAt4WWQ3iL</a>
&mdash; America (@america) <a href="https://twitter.com/america/status/1904226469762461840?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 24, 2025</a></blockquote>
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US-POLITICS-TRUMP-CABINET

Musk Reveals Shocking Cases Of Fraud Found At Small Business Administration

Crime

Donald Trump

Elon Musk

Fraud

Politics

Small Business Administration

Trump Administration

The husband of former far-left Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO) was hit with federal charges this week alleging that he committed wire fraud related to the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs.
Cortney Merritts, 46, faces two counts of wire fraud for allegedly filing bogus applications in 2020 and 2021 with the United States Small Business Administration.
The indictment alleges that he obtained nearly $21,000 from the programs for his own benefit and enjoyment by lying on the applications about a company that he owned, including how many employees he had and the amount of revenue the company generated.
The Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/20/cori-bush-busband-indicted-covid-fraud/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that while the indictment was signed by United States Attorney Ed Martin, President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to serve as permanent top prosecutor in D.C., the investigation was launched during the Biden administration.
Federal prosecutors ordered that he immediately forfeit to the United States any property connected to the alleged crime.
Merritts&#8217; attorney Justin Gelfand responded to the allegations: “We look forward to litigating this case in the courtroom.”
Bush was under federal criminal investigation last year over allegations that she misspent funds meant for personal security when she paid Merritts tens of thousands of campaign dollars to be her security guard.
The current status of the investigation is not known. No charges have been filed and she has not been formally accused of any criminal wrongdoing.
Bush represented her St. Louis-area district since 2021 after she toppled Rep. Lacy Clay (D-MO) in the 2020 primary, and over the years, she has faced scrutiny over payments for private security despite her calls to defund the police.
Her campaign has spent more than $750,000 on security services since 2019, according to federal election data. The congresswoman has previously said she was doling out money for protection because of attempts on her life.
She lost her seat in 2024 when she lost her primary to then-St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell, a more moderate Democrat.

Press conference on urging Biden to sign ERA before the end of his term

Cori Bush’s Husband Indicted On Federal Charges

Congress

Cori Bush

Two teachers union heads in Florida have been indicted on fraud and conspiracy charges, accused of stealing more than $2 million from union members.
The indictment against Terrie Brady, who was president of Duval Teachers United, and Ruby George, who was executive vice president, was unsealed on Monday.
Brady, 69, and George, 81, could face decades in prison if convicted of the charges, which <a href="https://jaxtoday.org/2025/01/13/teachers-union-fraud-indictment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">include</a> conspiracy to commit wire fraud, eight counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud, and three counts of aiding and abetting mail fraud.
The indictment accuses the two women of cheating the union out of <a href="https://www.jacksonville.com/story/news/local/2025/01/13/florida-teachers-union-execs-terrie-brady-ruby-george-indicted/75914930007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more</a> than $1.2 million each between 2013 and 2022, in part by claiming much more unused vacation time than they had. According to the indictment, they tag-teamed on signing each other&#8217;s union checks for fraudulent vacation time payments and additional bonus payments.
Brady was also charged with two counts of money laundering for allegedly using nearly $44,000 of the money to pay personal American Express credit card debt.
Then, the women filed false documentation to a union auditor, the indictment claimed.
The bombshell charges come after agents from the FBI and Internal Revenue Service raided the union&#8217;s headquarters in San Marco in September 2023, sparking confusion and speculation. Agents were spotted carrying computers, bags, and boxes of financial documents out of the building.
Brady and George resigned just weeks later after leading the union for 24 years, saying they wanted to spend more time with their families.
Back in 2023, Brady <a href="https://www.actionnewsjax.com/news/local/governor-ron-desantis-takes-aim-teachers-unions/XEPIGBHODZB7PEWRRJNWN2XYCE/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complained</a> about Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis trying to impose new financial transparency requirements on the unions.
“We think we’re pretty transparent in the work that we do,” Brady said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Terrie Brady, President of the Duval Teachers United union, put in a rare appearance at the DCPS school board meeting to discuss…not receiving dues for 12 days because of the new Florida law making teacher dues opt in and not mandatory. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MomsForLiberty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MomsForLiberty</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Florida?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Florida</a> <a href="https://t.co/71OLVS4MSc">pic.twitter.com/71OLVS4MSc</a>
&mdash; Moms For Liberty &#8211; Duval Co., FL (@DuvalMoms) <a href="https://twitter.com/DuvalMoms/status/1686628447953555456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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DeSantis had accused the unions of being too political and promised better pay for teachers and a cap on the salaries of teachers union officials.
“Having partisan groups basically get special privileges for deductions and all these other stuff, you know, that doesn’t work and so, I think this will be a huge, huge boon for transparency and efficiency in our school system,” DeSantis said at the time.
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Duval Teachers United represents about 13,000 teachers and other school employees in the Jacksonville area. The local union is affiliated with both the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the National Education Association (NEA).
The union <a href="https://jaxtoday.org/2025/01/13/teachers-union-fraud-indictment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">brings</a> in about $5 million in revenue a year.
In 2022, Brady received a lifetime achievement award for “a long record of excellent leadership” from the Florida Education Association.
She also chaired the Florida Democratic Party in the 1990s.

Money

Teachers Union Heads Indicted For Fraud, Stealing More Than $2M From Union

Teachers Union Heads Indicted For Fraud, Stealing Millions From Union

DeSantis

Education

Florida

Public Schools

Ron DeSantis

Teachers Unions

U.S.

A damning report from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/cnn" target="_blank" rel="noopener">CNN</a> this week found that there is widespread fraud throughout Minnesota&#8217;s government and that Governor Tim Walz demands little to no accountability for what has transpired under his watch.
The <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/04/politics/walz-audits-fraud-accountability-invs/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> highlighted numerous examples of fraud, ranging from pandemic funds intended to go to frontline workers that instead went to undeserving recipients to lax oversight of a government program that federal prosecutors said was the &#8220;nation&#8217;s largest&#8221; pandemic fraud scheme.
The report comes as Vice President Kamala Harris has faced significant criticism for her decision to pick Walz as her running mate after he has been found to be a serial liar on matters that span nearly every aspect of his life, both personal and career.
That criticism was again amplified after he was trounced in the vice presidential debate this week by Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) — Donald Trump&#8217;s vice presidential pick.
The state’s nonpartisan auditor, Judy Randall, told CNN that when Walz and his administration were confronted with dozens of examples of waste, fraud, and abuse, they minimized or dismissed the allegations.
The report said she was stunned that the state agencies under Walz&#8217;s control have become &#8220;defensive&#8221; and showed &#8220;signs of resentment&#8221; when confronted with the fraud, something that she has never seen over her nearly three decade career.
Randall said that she is not aware of a single person who has been removed from their job in the administration as a result of the fraud findings.
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“When he is not holding any commissioners responsible, then yes, Governor Walz is responsible for the fraud that has been ongoing in the state of Minnesota,” said Lisa Demuth, the state House GOP leader. “It falls squarely on his shoulders.”
Sen. Mark Koran, a Republican who serves as the vice chair of the state’s bipartisan legislative audit commission, said that the &#8220;hostility&#8221; that the state government has shown to investigators &#8220;is led by Governor Walz.&#8221;
“The governor’s appointees across the board at almost all agencies have been hostile and uncooperative when citizens are seeking transparency and oversight through the legislative auditor,” said Koran.
The chair of the committee, Democrat Rep. Rick Hansen, refused to respond to CNN&#8217;s request for comment.
The corruption under the Walz administration has attracted the attention of federal law enforcement officials who have conducted raids on various entities in connection with multiple criminal corruption investigations that are ongoing.
The report highlighted one of the examples of corruption that involved hundreds of millions of dollars of pandemic relief funds that were stolen through government programs in Minnesota.
Instead of helping those in need, &#8220;$250 million in federal tax dollars [were used] to purchase luxury cars, lavish overseas trips, gold jewelry and lakeside property.&#8221;

JD Vance And Tim Walz Face Off In Vice Presidential Debate In New York

CNN: Walz Lets Fraud Run Rampant In Minnesota Government With Little Accountability

Kamala Harris

Media

Minnesota

Tim Walz

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/brad-pitt">Brad Pitt</a>’s rep shared his reaction to multiple <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/fraud">scammers</a> pretending to be the movie star on social media, which resulted in several victims being tricked out of more than $350,000.
&#8220;It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities, and this is an important reminder to not respond to unsolicited online outreach, especially from actors who have no social media presence,” the actor’s spokesperson said, per <a href="https://people.com/brad-pitt-rep-speaks-out-scammers-pose-as-actor-8718169">People</a>.
A recently published press release from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/spain">Spain</a>&#8216;s Ministry of the Interior detailed some of the alleged crimes, including scam artists pretending to be Pitt and initiating online relationships with the victims. These individuals then had the women transfer money into various accounts by claiming they were investing in his upcoming projects, the outlet noted.
The scammers &#8220;managed to make these women believe they had become so close to the well-known American actor that they believed they had a romantic relationship with him,&#8221; the docs said. One woman was duped into transferring around $167,000, while another got bilked out of approximately $195,500.
So far, five total suspects have been arrested in connection with the scam and were charged with crimes including fraud, money laundering, and forgery, per Spanish authorities.
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The victims were targeted through Brad Pitt fan pages. The 60-year-old “Ad Astra” star has no official authorized social media accounts on Instagram, X, Facebook, or TikTok.
Pitt has voiced his disinterest in using social media in the past. He told GQ during a 2014 <a href="https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/article/brad-pitt-british-gq-november-issue-cover-story-interview">interview</a> that he sees social media as being more trouble than it&#8217;s worth.
“Listen, I see a benefit in it. You could, you know, combat the misconceptions or the misquotes immediately. And if I&#8217;d have had that in my younger days, I&#8217;d have used it,&#8221; the actor said at the time. 
&#8220;Because I felt quite used, and completely misunderstood, and misread, and not given the benefit of the doubt,&#8221; Pitt continued. &#8220;You know, I felt that a lot in my first years. I would have brought some logic to the table, and brought it immediately. But now, at this point, I don&#8217;t want to bother with it.&#8221;
In 2019, the actor <a href="https://www.eonline.com/news/1058939/here-s-why-brad-pitt-isn-t-joining-instagram-anytime-soon">said</a> he didn’t “see the point” in creating an Instagram account.

Brad Pitt

Brad Pitt’s Rep Responds To Impersonators Scamming Fans Out Of $350K

Brad Pitt's Rep Responds To Impersonators Scamming Fans Out Of $350K

Celebrities

Entertainment

Spain

World

The system that the U.S. put in place in Iraq following its 2003 invasion of the country was abused by shady Iraqi banks that used the lax system to funnel large unknown sums of money to Iranian terrorists.
The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/iraq-banks-u-s-fed-iran-financing-0c3e740c?st=4qtfg6tag4np9c2&amp;reflink=article_copyURL_share">reported</a> that the three banks run by Ali Ghulam wired tens of billions of dollars outside of the country to fake vendors who submitted fraudulent invoices.
&#8220;U.S. officials suspect his banks were among more than two dozen Iraqi banks involved in funneling dollars to Iran and its militia allies, using front companies and falsified invoices to circumvent sanctions that block Iran from the global financial system,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;Audits of Ghulam’s banks completed in May, reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, reveal extraordinary details of overseas dollar transactions that auditors said raised money-laundering concerns.&#8221;
The report said that numbers as high as 80% of the more than $250 million in wire transfers that could flow through the banks on a daily basis were &#8220;untraceable&#8221; and some of the money would go to Iran&#8217;s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization, and to other Iranian-backed terrorist groups in the region.
The Pentagon warned the White House as far back as 2012, during the Obama administration, that fraudulent activity was happening at the banks. Obama, who <a href="https://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation/">killed</a> a massive federal investigation aimed a crippling the Iranian-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, did not appear to take action against the banks.
U.S. officials warned that there was as much as $800 million worth of fraud happening per week through the system in Iraq.
The system that was set up had the New York Fed hold Iraq&#8217;s tens of billions of dollars worth of earnings from oil sales every year to send physical cash back to Baghdad to help stabilize Iraq&#8217;s economy and prevent the further spread of ISIS in the country.
However, because Iraq was not part of Swift, a Belgium-based service that routes messages between banks, the Iraqi banks were not required to divulge who they were wiring the funds to outside of the country.
“The Americans have nothing on me,” Ghulam, who now lives in a $40 million mansion in London, claimed in an interview. “I have nothing to do with money laundering or Iran.”
The report said that he sold U.S. dollars on the black market and belonged to one of the Iranian-backed extremist groups that fought against U.S. forces.
When Iranian-backed terrorist groups in Iraq &#8220;saw the dollars to be made from the system, they started taking over private banks,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;They then entered the business of wiring money abroad, abusing the system by using fraudulent or inflated invoices for nonexistent imports, according to Iraqi officials and bankers.&#8221;
Audits from a private firm found that his banks sent $3.5 billion outside of the country in the six months before the U.S. cut him off to a small number of &#8220;obscure companies in the U.A.E.&#8221;
&#8220;The smallest transfer was for exactly $2,970,000, and the largest was for exactly $17,000,000,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;In the six months audited, one Iraqi company sent precisely $243,000,000 in 17 payments through Iraqi Middle East Investment Bank. The audit called the round numbers a red flag for money laundering because such amounts are almost never seen in legitimate business transactions.&#8221;
When the Fed finally started investigating the business transactions in 2022, they &#8220;shut him down almost overnight,&#8221; the report said.

IRAN-VOTE-POLITICS

Iraqi Banks Used U.S.-Created System To Funnel Money To Iranian Terrorists: Report

Iran

Iraq

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/minnesota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Minnesota</a> Governor <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/tim-walz" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tim Walz</a>, the Democratic Party&#8217;s vice presidential nominee, has been <a href="https://edworkforce.house.gov/uploadedfiles/9.4.24_feeding_our_future_subpoenas.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subpoenaed</a> as part of a Republican-led congressional investigation into the fraudulent use of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> relief funds.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/u-s-house-of-representatives" target="_blank" rel="noopener">House</a> Education and the Workforce Committee is seeking documents related to the Minnesota Department of Education&#8217;s (MDE) administration of federal child nutrition programs (FCNP).
At issue is how the Minnesota-based nonprofit Feeding Our Future (FOF) was <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/five-defendants-found-guilty-their-roles-250-million-fraud-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">implicated</a> in what the Department of Justice (DOJ) described as a $250 million fraud scheme that &#8220;exploited&#8221; an operation meant to feed hungry kids in need during the COVID pandemic.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/lawmakers-launch-investigation-into-walz-over-extensive-ties-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">RELATED: Lawmakers Launch Investigation Into Walz Over ‘Extensive’ Ties To Communist China</a>
&#8220;As the chief executive and the highest ranking official in the state of Minnesota, you are responsible for the MDE and its administration of FCNPs,&#8221; Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) wrote in a cover letter to Walz.
&#8220;Statements in the press by you and your representatives indicate that you and other executive officers were involved, or had knowledge of, MDE’s administration of the FCNP and responsibilities and actions regarding the massive fraud,&#8221; she added.
The committee also sent subpoenas for documents to MDE Commissioner Willie Jett, Agriculture Secretary Thomas Vilsack, and Agriculture Department Inspector General Phyllis Fong. Walz and the others received a September 18 deadline.
Vice President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kamala Harris</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/harris-expected-to-tap-minnesota-governor-tim-walz-as-running-mate" target="_blank" rel="noopener">picked</a> Walz as her running mate in the 2024 presidential race in early August, but the House GOP&#8217;s inquiry into FOF and efforts to obtain documents from Minnesota officials dates back to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/11/14/foxx-house-republicans-question-minnesota-department-of-education/71577965007/">last year</a>.
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In 2022, federal prosecutors announced charges against dozens of defendants linked to FOF in what the DOJ described at the time as being &#8220;the largest COVID-19 fraud scheme in the nation.&#8221;
In June of this year, U.S. Attorney Andrew Lugar <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-mn/pr/five-defendants-found-guilty-their-roles-250-million-fraud-scheme" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> that five defendants had been convicted by a federal jury, and a total of 23 individuals had been &#8220;held accountable&#8221; for their roles in the $250 million fraud scheme.
Foxx&#8217;s letter to Walz noted that the governor, when asked about not holding agencies accountable and whether MDE employees would be disciplined, <a href="https://www.startribune.com/we-can-always-do-better-gov-tim-walz-says-of-education-department-after-report-criticizes-oversight-of-feeding-our-future/600374449" target="_blank" rel="noopener">replied</a>, &#8220;This wasn’t malfeasance.&#8221;
Walz also stated, &#8220;There’s not a single state employee that was implicated in doing anything that was illegal. They simply didn’t do as much due diligence as they should’ve.&#8221;
The Office of the Legislative Auditor in Minnesota <a href="https://www.auditor.leg.state.mn.us/sreview/pdf/2024-mdefof.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">released</a> a report this summer that said MDE&#8217;s oversight of FOF had been &#8220;inadequate&#8221; and listed ways in which it &#8220;created opportunities for fraud.&#8221;
A spokesperson for Walz told <a href="https://www.axios.com/local/twin-cities/2024/06/14/feeding-our-future-fraud-minnesota-department-education-audit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Axios</a> his administration &#8220;made many of the corrective actions suggested by the OLA [Office of the Legislative Auditor] and taken &#8216;strong steps to find and eliminate any remaining vulnerabilities in government programs.'&#8221;

Minnesota Governor Tim Walz

House Panel Subpoenas Walz In COVID Fraud Probe

COVID-19

House Republicans

subpoena

U.S. House of Representatives

Prosecutors with the Department of Justice have asked the court to deny convicted murderer Alex Murdaugh’s appeal of his sentence for financial crimes.
Federal prosecutors argued that part of Murdaugh’s plea deal included a stipulation that he sign away his right to appeal the sentence, Fox News <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/doj-asks-court-toss-alex-murdaugh-appeal-federal-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-appeals-sentence-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> in September 2023 to <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/alex-murdaugh-sentenced-40-years-prison-federal-financial-crimes#:~:text=Murdaugh%20was%20a%20personal%20injury,from%20his%20personal%20injury%20clients.">22 counts</a> of fraud and other financial crimes after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.
&#8220;For more than 15 years, he spun a complex web of exploitation, manipulation and deceit, preying on highly vulnerable victims in pursuit of his own financial gain,&#8221; federal prosecutors wrote in a motion filed in federal court last week, according to Fox.
Murdaugh’s attorneys and federal prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel for a 30-year sentence to run concurrently with Murdaugh’s 27-year sentence for state financial crime and consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Instead, Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to 40 years in prison for the federal financial crimes, which Murdaugh’s attorneys <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaughs-attorneys-say-sentence-for-financial-crime-constitutes-cruel-and-unusual-punishment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have called</a> cruel and unusual punishment. In appealing the sentence, Murdaugh’s attorneys argued that the 40-year sentence is effectively a life sentence, given Murdaugh’s age, WCSC <a href="https://www.live5news.com/2024/07/12/murdaugh-attorneys-claim-federal-sentence-financial-crimes-unconstitutional/?outputType=amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. Murdaugh, who is 55, is required to serve at least 85% of his sentence, which amounts to 34 years. However, the life expectancy of a 55-year-old man is only another 24 years, <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Social Security Administration</a>.
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Murdaugh’s appeal said the state guidelines should have sentenced him between 17 and 22 years for the crimes and cites three similar cases with median sentences of 17.5 years.
Judge Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to the longer term, stating in his ruling that Murdaugh stole money from “the most needy, vulnerable people.” This included a client who was left without the use of his arms or legs after a crash and a trust fund for children whose parents had been killed in a car crash.
Murdaugh pleaded guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his previous law firm and its clients and, in addition to prison time, was ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution to his victims.
&nbsp;

Alex Murdaugh

DOJ Asks Court To Deny Alex Murdaugh’s Appeal For Financial Crimes Sentence

DOJ Asks Court To Deny Alex Murdaugh's Appeal For Financial Crimes Sentence

South Carolina

Former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> said on Sunday that the Republican Party deserved to be &#8220;reimbursed for fraud&#8221; after the Democratic Party and media surrogates forced them to spend millions campaigning against President Joe Biden despite knowing full well that he could not make it through another four years in office.
Trump made the statement in a Truth Social post several hours after Biden announced his plan to &#8220;stand down&#8221; from the 2024 presidential election and to throw his support and endorsement behind his Vice President Kamala Harris instead.
&#8220;So, we are forced to spend time and money on fighting Crooked Joe Biden, he polls badly after having a terrible debate, and quits the race. Now we have to start all over again,&#8221; <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112826696160137948" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Trump said</a>. &#8220;Shouldn’t the Republican Party be reimbursed for fraud in that everybody around Joe, including his doctors and the Fake News Media, knew he was not capable of running for, or being, President? Just askin’?&#8221;
The former president had just posted a short time earlier about the second debate — which had been scheduled to air in September on ABC — and argued that it should air on Fox News instead.
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&#8220;My debate with Crooked Joe Biden, the Worst President in the history of the United States, was slated to be broadcast on Fake News ABC, the home of George Slopadopolus, sometime in September,&#8221; <a href="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/posts/112826639924748087" target="_blank" rel="noopener">he posted</a>. &#8220;Now that Joe has, not surprisingly, has quit the race, I think the Debate, with whomever the Radical Left Democrats choose, should be held on FoxNews, rather than very biased ABC. Thank you!&#8221;
While Biden and a number of powerful Democrats — including former President Bill Clinton and two-time nominee Hillary Clinton— have joined Biden in endorsing Harris, others have objected to the idea that the Democratic National Committee (DNC) could ignore the voters and &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rfk-jr-challenges-biden-dnc-over-attempt-to-anoint-kamala-harris" target="_blank" rel="noopener">anoint</a>&#8221; Harris without their input.

Donald Trump And J.D. Vance Hold First Joint Campaign Rally After The RNC

Trump Wants GOP Reimbursed ‘For Fraud’ After Biden Exit, Wants Next Debate Aired On Fox News

Trump Wants GOP Reimbursed 'For Fraud' After Biden Exits, Wants Next Debate Aired On Fox News

2024 Election

Debates

Elections

Joe Biden

In their latest court filing, attorneys for convicted murderer and fraudster Alex Murdaugh argue that his 40-year sentence for financial crimes violates his Eighth Amendment right against cruel and unusual punishment.
In April, Murdaugh <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaugh-appeals-sentence-for-financial-crimes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pled guilty</a> to 22 counts of fraud and other financial crimes after reaching a plea agreement with federal prosecutors. Afterward, he was sentenced to 40 years in prison, even though he and prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Richard Gergel for a 30-year sentence to run concurrently with Murdaugh’s 27-year sentence for state financial crime and consecutive life sentences for the murders of his wife Maggie, and youngest son, Paul.
Murdaugh appealed the sentence, and his new filing argues that the lengthy sentence constitutes cruel and unusual punishment and is effectively a life sentence, given Murdaugh’s age, WCSC <a href="https://www.live5news.com/2024/07/12/murdaugh-attorneys-claim-federal-sentence-financial-crimes-unconstitutional/?outputType=amp">reported</a>. Murdaugh, who is 55, is required to serve at least 85% of his sentence, which amounts to 34 years. But Murdaugh’s life expectancy is only another 24 years, <a href="https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/STATS/table4c6.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Social Security Administration</a>.
Murdaugh’s filing says the state guidelines should have sentenced him between 17 and 22 years for the crimes and cites three similar cases with median sentences of 17.5 years.
Judge Gergel sentenced Murdaugh to the longer term, stating in his ruling that Murdaugh stole money from “the most needy, vulnerable people.” This included a client who was left without the use of his arms or legs after a crash and a trust fund for children whose parents had been killed in a car crash.
Murdaugh pleaded guilty to stealing millions of dollars from his previous law firm and its clients and, in addition to prison time, was ordered to pay more than $8 million in restitution to his victims.
“Trust in our legal system begins with trust in its lawyers,” U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs said in <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sc/pr/alex-murdaugh-indicted-federal-conspiracy-wire-fraud-bank-fraud-and-money-laundering" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a statement</a> at the time. “South Carolinians turn to lawyers when they are at their most vulnerable, and in our state, those who abuse the public’s trust and enrich themselves by fraud, theft, and self-dealing will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
The sentencing hearing almost didn’t happen, as prosecutors filed a motion the week before trying to back out of their plea agreement with Murdaugh, claiming he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/alex-murdaughs-attorneys-reveal-reason-they-believe-client-failed-polygraph-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">failed a polygraph test</a> and was, therefore, lying about where the money was spent.
The federal government based its attempt to revoke the plea agreement on the failed polygraph test but asked the courts not to release the results. Murdaugh’s attorneys filed a motion last week opposing the federal prosecutors’ request.
“To allow the Government to publicly accuse Murdaugh of breaching his plea agreement while also allowing the Government to hide all purported evidence supporting that accusation from the public would violate the public’s right to the truth,” Murdaugh’s attorneys, Jim Griffin and Dick Harpootlian, wrote in their motion, <a href="https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2024/03/28/us/alex-murdaugh-lie-detector-test" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to CNN</a>.
Polygraph tests are not permitted as evidence in court because they are unreliable.
The attorneys argued in court documents that the polygraph Murdaugh failed was not reliable because the administrator admitted to Murdaugh that he had just tested Joran van der Sloot, who admitted to killing Natalee Holloway in Aruba in 2005.
“There are legitimate questions as to whether the Government intentionally manipulated the results to void the plea agreement and achieve the prosecutors’ stated desire to ‘ensure that he’s never a free man again,’” the attorneys wrote previously, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/alex-murdaugh-fbi-plea-deal-sentencing-6160a341f0adc6e3e17cf996bb1a8bce" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the Associated Press</a>.

Alex Murdaugh’s Attorneys Say Sentence For Financial Crime Constitutes ‘Cruel And Unusual Punishment’

Alex Murdaugh's Attorneys Say Sentence For Financial Crime Constitutes Cruel And Unusual Punishment

Murder

Former “Chrisley Knows Best” reality star Julie Chrisley&#8217;s sentence for financial crimes has been overturned, but her conviction has been upheld.
Julie and her husband, Todd, were convicted in June 2022 of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, tax fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the United States. In addition, Julie was convicted of wire fraud and obstruction of justice. They have always denied the charges.
On Friday, Julie’s sentence was vacated by the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, Fox 5 Atlanta <a href="https://www.fox5atlanta.com/news/appeals-court-overturns-julie-chrisleys-sentence-maintains-convictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The appellate court upheld Chrisley’s convictions for tax evasion and bank fraud but overturned Julie’s conviction, saying there wasn’t enough evidence to link her to losses incurred by the couple prior to 2007. This decision remands her case back to the district court, where she will be resentenced.
The district court must now determine more precisely what Julie’s involvement was in the financial losses for which she was convicted.
Todd Chrisley made a fortune through Chrisley Asset Management, a real estate company he founded in Georgia, The Daily Wire previously <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/reality-bites-the-rise-and-fall-of-the-chrisley-family-empire" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>. The success of the business combined with Todd’s personality and large family made him a perfect candidate for reality TV, which led to “Chrisley Knows Best.”
Even before the Chrisleys began their reality show in 2014, they had financial problems. In 2012, Todd filed for bankruptcy protection. Explaining the filing, his lawyer <a href="https://people.com/tv/chrisley-knows-best-inside-todd-chrisleys-45-million-bankruptcy-case/#:~:text=After%20a%20large%20business%20investment,have%20been%20fine%2C%20financially.%E2%80%9D" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told People</a>, “He guaranteed a real estate development loan and it failed. He was on the hook for $30 million. If he hadn’t had that happen, he would have been fine, financially.”
The Department of Justice (DOJ), however, <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndga/pr/reality-tv-stars-convicted-fraud-and-tax-evasion?ftag=YHF4eb9d17" target="_blank" rel="noopener">explained</a> that the Chrisleys — prior to their reality show — “conspired to defraud community banks in the Atlanta area to obtain more than $30 million in personal loans.”
With the help of a business partner, <a href="https://popculture.com/reality-tv/news/todd-chrisley-ex-business-partner-mark-braddock-claims-had-affair/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Braddock</a>, the Chrisleys “submitted false bank statements, audit reports, and personal financial statements to banks to obtain the millions of dollars in fraudulent loans,” the DOJ wrote.
In 2017, the couple’s problems expanded. WSB-TV <a href="https://www.wsbtv.com/news/local/north-fulton-county/state-issues-liens-against-reality-star-after-channel-2-investigation/505362349/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> at the time that the Chrisleys owed nearly $800,000 in taxes to the state of Georgia and had declared their residency on numerous public records before moving to Nashville, Tennessee, in 2016.
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In 2018, Todd sued Homebanc Mortgage Corporation, Radar Online <a href="https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/08/todd-chrisley-blamed-business-partner-morgage-forgery-before-indictment-scandal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, alleging a “former business partner” forged Todd’s name on the mortgage and made some payments on his behalf. Todd also claimed that the same business partner was the reason he had to file for bankruptcy protection in 2012.
In 2019, the Chrisleys were indicted. After a three-week trial in 2022, the couple was convicted.
In January, the couple was awarded a $1 million settlement after suing the former Director of Special Investigations of the state’s Department of Revenue, alleging he targeted the family after they were cleared of a state tax evasion charge.

Todd and Julie Chrisley

Reality Star Julie Chrisley’s Sentence For Financial Fraud Overturned

Reality Star Julie Chrisley's Sentence For Financial Fraud Overturned

Georgia

Reality stars

Reality TV

Doctors at <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/transgender" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas Children’s Hospital</a> may have engaged in medical fraud as they provided puberty blockers and hormone therapy to children, new testimony from a whistleblower indicates.
Two doctors at the Houston-based hospital allegedly billed Medicaid in <a href="https://www.tmhp.com/sites/default/files/file-library/resources/provider-manuals/tmppm/archives/2021-02-TMPPM.pdf">violation of Texas state law</a> as they provided medical interventions that sought to change the sex of their patients, the <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/the-murky-business-of-transgender-medicine">report</a> from conservative journalist and activist Chris Rufo reveals.
Vanessa Sivadge, a nurse at the hospital, alleged that Texas Children&#8217;s Hospital “is illegally billing Medicaid for transgender procedures” with the help of two doctors: pediatric endocrinologist Richard Ogden Roberts III and Dr. David Paul.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
This is Dr. Richard Ogden Roberts. According to Sivadge, Roberts has managed a large number of pediatric sex-change patients. For example, he prescribed sex-change hormones to a biological female who identified as &#8220;non-binary&#8221; and whose records claimed that she was a &#8220;male.&#8221; The… <a href="https://t.co/iiFsqZqe10">pic.twitter.com/iiFsqZqe10</a>
— Christopher F. Rufo ⚔️ (@realchrisrufo) <a href="https://twitter.com/realchrisrufo/status/1803126978784170401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Sivadge points to specific instances in which she believes the doctors violated the law, explaining that Roberts approved a testosterone prescription for one 16-year-old patient suffering from gender dysphoria. The patient was enrolled in Texas Children’s Health Plan STAR, which is <a href="https://texaschildrenshealthplan.org/benefits/star-medicaid">described</a> as a “no-cost Medicaid managed care plan.” Roberts, who Sivadge says encouraged young children to attempt to transition into the opposite sex, was previously at the <a href="https://lambdalegal.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Exh.-8-Affidavit-of-Richard-Ogden-Roberts-III-MD.pdf">forefront of a lawsuit</a> that attempted to prevent Texas from being able to ban child sex-change operations. Roberts even admitted in his affidavit that he had several patients at the transgender clinic &#8220;who receive their health coverage through Medicaid.&#8221;
Another patient, who Sivadge says was enrolled in the same health care plan, visited Paul and prescribed cross-sex hormones. Paul also discussed the possibility of breast implants with the patient, the report notes.
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“It is evident that the hospital continues to believe it is above the law not just by <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/sex-change-procedures-at-texas-childrens-hospital">concealing</a> the existence of their transgender medicine program from the public, but by stealing from the federal government,” Sivadge contended. One legal expert agreed that the hospital had acted in violation of the law. “The only reasonable conclusion is that Texas Children’s Hospital was using Texas Medicaid funds to pay for ‘gender-affirming care,’ contrary to Texas law.”
The allegations of medical fraud come amid an ongoing scandal at the Texas Children’s Hospital over its child transgender clinic. One doctor named Ethan Haim previously blew the whistle and <a href="https://www.city-journal.org/article/sex-change-procedures-at-texas-childrens-hospital">exposed</a> that the hospital had continued to perform child sex-change interventions despite telling the public that it had halted the procedures. Haim was then <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/a-doctor-blew-the-whistle-on-his-hospitals-transgender-clinic-now-the-feds-are-trying-to-ruin-his-life">visited by the FBI</a> and has just been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-indicts-whistleblower-who-exposed-child-sex-change-surgeries-at-texas-childrens-hospital">indicted on four felony charges</a> for his role in exposing the clinic.

Untitled design-133

Texas Children’s Hospital May Have Committed Fraud As it Provided Child Sex Changes: Whistleblower

Texas

Transgender