corruption

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Feds Raid Calif. Capitol for First Time in 25 Years

State senator is target of corruption probe, sources say

(Newser) - FBI agents swooped down on the offices of a California state senator and the Latino Legislative Caucus in the first raid of its kind in the state's Capitol since the "Shrimpscam" corruption scandal 25 years ago, the Los Angeles Times reports. Law enforcement sources say Sen. Ron Calderon—...

Sochi Olympics a Massive 'Scam': Claim

Report claims $30B has been stolen

(Newser) - As Russia debuted its Sochi Olympic medals yesterday—bearing what the AP is calling a "patchwork quilt" design complete with sun rays, mountains, and beaches—opposition members were busy unveiling something else Olympics-themed: a report that calls the games "a monstrous scam." Opposition leader Boris Nemtsov co-authored...

CIA Giving Karzai Sacks of 'Ghost Money': Report

It's said to have added up to tens of millions

(Newser) - While some American officials complain about corruption in Afghanistan, the CIA has been smoothing its relationship with President Hamid Karzai's government by dropping off suitcases, backpacks, and even plastic bags full of cash at his office every month, the New York Times finds. The payments—described as "ghost...

Feds: Guards Let Inmates Run Md. Jail, Slept With Them

4 female officers had gang leader's babies

(Newser) - Thirteen female corrections officers have been accused of helping the Black Guerilla Family gang run a drug trafficking operation inside a Baltimore jail—and having sex with the inmates running the operation—according to an indictment unsealed yesterday. The gang's leader, Tavon White, has allegedly fathered five children with...

Pols Charged With Plotting to Fix NYC Mayor Race

State senate leader, city councilman arrested

(Newser) - The president of New York's state senate and a New York City councilman, along with a handful of others, have been arrested amid reports of a plot to fix the city's mayoral race. Malcolm Smith, a Democrat who is the first black state senate president, was reportedly mulling...

Kabul Bank Honchos Punished for Fraud—Kind Of

Karzai brother conspicuously absent

(Newser) - An Afghan court convicted 21 people for their involvement in the Kabul Bank scandal today, a development that would have been nigh-unthinkable not long ago in the notoriously corrupt country, the New York Times reports. But independent observers say the sentences were surprisingly light given the severity of the fraud...

Mexico Arrests Its 'Most Powerful Woman'

Elba Esther Gordillo accused of embezzling millions from union workers

(Newser) - She's known as Mexico's most powerful woman, and she's currently sitting in prison. Elba Esther Gordillo was arrested on corruption charges last night after landing near Mexico City in a private plane, reports the AP . It's things like private planes that appear to be the problem:...

Supreme Court Upholds Corporate Donation Ban

Meanwhile, it lets man whose IQ is too low to execute go

(Newser) - The Supreme Court has been notoriously friendly to corporate speech rights, but it today rejected two Hillary Clinton donors' attempt to argue that corporations should be able to donate directly to candidates. William Danielczyk and Eugene Biagi, who are accused of illegally funneling $150,000 of corporate cash into Clinton'...

CEO of Italian Defense Giant Arrested in Bribery Probe

Prosecutors suspicious of sale of helicopters to India

(Newser) - Italian police arrested the chief executive of Italy's largest defense and aerospace group today, as part of an investigation into alleged international corruption. Finmeccanica CEO Giuseppe Orsi is under investigation in a case involving the payment of $670 million in bribes for the sale of 12 helicopters to the...

Menendez Waded Into Top Donor's Fraud Case

Senator's relationship with Salomon Melgen comes under scrutiny

(Newser) - Sen. Robert Menendez twice tried to intervene on behalf of pal and major campaign donor Dr. Salomon Melgen in the optometrist's ongoing battle with Medicare over alleged fraud, the Washington Post and New York Times report. Melgen is accused of overbilling Uncle Sam to the tune of $8.9...

FBI Raid Resurrects Menendez Prostitution Buzz

But New Jersey senator says allegations false

(Newser) - Sen. Robert Menendez yesterday once again denied allegations that he had hired Dominican prostitutes, after an FBI raid on a major campaign donor's office rekindled interest in the rumors. On Tuesday, FBI agents descended on the offices of Dr. Salomon Melgen, the optometrist who supposedly flew the New Jersey...

Ex-New Orleans Mayor Nagin Charged With Corruption

He is accused of taking bribes over Katrina cleanup work

(Newser) - Former New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin was indicted today on charges that he used his office for personal gain, accepting payoffs, free trips, and gratuities from contractors while the city was struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The charges against Democrat Nagin are the outgrowth of a...

Jackie Chan Bashes America in Interview

Calls it 'most corrupt country in the world'

(Newser) - Jackie Chan once said that "too much freedom" is a bad thing and that "Chinese people need to be controlled" for their own good. Which is why Max Fisher of the Washington Post isn't all that surprised by the actor's anti-American views expressed in a recent...

Walmart Ducked Mexican Laws via Rampant Bribery

Mexican arm was 'aggressive and creative corrupter': NYT

(Newser) - Following the New York Times' April revelation that Walmart silenced a 2006 probe into the company's Mexican bribery scandal, the Times took things into its own hands. In a lengthy investigation, the paper finds that Walmart de Mexico, the country's largest private employer, wasn't a helpless player...

Obama Declares Big Banks Too Big to Jail
 Obama Declares Big Banks Too Big to Jail
OPINION
Dec 12, 2012 1:14 PM CST

Obama Declares Big Banks Too Big to Jail

Decision not to prosecute bank's money laundering sparks outrage

(Newser) - The Obama administration officially bought into the idea that big banks are "too big to jail" yesterday, by deciding to fine HSBC instead of criminally prosecuting its vast money laundering operation—which funneled cash to Mexican drug cartels and Saudi banks with ties to al-Qaeda. The stated reason? The...

Most, Least Corrupt Nations
 Most, Least 
 Corrupt Nations 
Dec 5, 2012 12:41 PM CST

Most, Least Corrupt Nations

North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia fare worst in annual rankings

(Newser) - Surprise, surprise: North Korea is perceived as highly corrupt, according to Transparency International's annual rankings . The group gave 176 nations a score from 0 (highly corrupt) to 100 (very clean). Here's a look at some of the findings:
  • Afghanistan and Somalia tied North Korea for last place, each
...

China Blocks NY Times Site for 'Smearing' Leader

Report on Wen Jiabao's wealth angers Beijing

(Newser) - China has blocked the New York Times' website and all searches for "New York Times" on microblogs, accusing it of smearing Wen Jiabao with a story about the immense wealth his family has amassed during his reign as prime minister. A foreign ministry spokesman said the report "blackens...

Ex-Philippine President Arrested in Hospital, Again

It's third indictment in two years for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo

(Newser) - In what's getting to be a habit, ex-Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was arrested in a hospital room today. It's the second time that's happened , and her third indictment since stepping down two years ago, the AP reports. This time, Arroyo was being treated for dehydration at...

FBI Arrests Trenton Mayor for Corruption

Tony Mack's brother also arrested

(Newser) - The FBI busted Trenton Mayor Tony Mack this morning on corruption charges, alleging that city government was paid $119,000 by a "purported developer" who wanted to build a parking garage on city property. A Mack supporter and local steakhouse owner was also arrested in the case, and the...

Mystery Donor Gives Away $900K and Vanishes

James Williams did it all from his little apartment

(Newser) - How can a small apartment in Queens, New York, be the source of nearly $900,000 in political donations? This odd center for financial activity is the home of 64-year-old James Williams; not much is known about him except that he's reclusive, he walks with a cane, and he...

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