Oct 18, 2024
TD Bank hit with $3B penalty in U.S. money laundering settlement
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Canada-based bank “created an environment that allowed financial crime to flourish.”
United States
Aug 29, 2024
Under industry pressure, IRS division blocked agents from using new law to stop wealthy tax dodgers
High-powered tax attorneys bemoaned the 2010 legislation meant to crack down on big-dollar tax shelters. They ended up writing parts of an IRS directive that essentially undid it.
Aug 28, 2024
US government audit identifies ‘challenges’ in FDA’s monitoring of medical devices linked to patients
An oversight initiative meant to help officials detect medical device safety issues has faltered due to patchy recordkeeping by health care professionals.
Jul 16, 2024
Former Biden aide set up meeting between Qatari royal and US senator convicted of corruption
Sen. Robert Menendez was found guilty of accepting bribes from a New Jersey businessman and wielding political influence to benefit Qatar and Egypt.
Jun 11, 2024
How the IRS went soft on billionaires and corporate tax cheats
Newly obtained data shows the IRS division that audits corporations and the ultrarich flagged no more than 22 possible tax crimes over the past five years — roughly 40 times fewer criminal referrals than from the unit covering small businesses.
May 20, 2024
New US Treasury strategy targets crypto scams and real estate money laundering
Officials touted upcoming moves to close regulatory loopholes that could expose the United States’ financial system to evolving threats.
Apr 03, 2024
How investment firms shield the ultrawealthy from the IRS
An ICIJ investigation examining hundreds of leaked tax forms offers a glimpse into the huge challenges the U.S. agency faces in tackling the favorite new global investment vehicles of the world's most wealthy.
Mar 26, 2024
Qatari royal invested about $50 million in pro-Trump network Newsmax
Before and after the investment, senior newsroom leaders urged Newsmax staff to soften coverage of Qatar, current and former employees said.
Mar 19, 2024
New data shows IRS’s 10-year struggle to investigate tax crimes
The number of cases the wider U.S. tax agency refers to its criminal unit has plummeted.
Mar 06, 2024
Spyware firm Intellexa hit with US sanctions after Cyprus Confidential exposé
The U.S. Treasury sanctioned the cyber-surveillance group and two of its key leaders, Tal Dilian and Sara Hamou, for proliferating spyware use around the world.
Feb 21, 2024
Inside the IRS unit taking on America’s millionaires and billionaires
The U.S. Internal Revenue Service is seeking to use an infusion of funding to keep up with the ever-evolving tax maneuvers of the ultra-rich — while staving off frequent political attacks.
Feb 09, 2024
US takes aim at real estate money laundering
A new rule would close a loophole Treasury warns is exploited by bad actors using ill-gotten cash to anonymously buy residential properties.
Feb 06, 2024
ICE’s use of solitary confinement ‘only increasing’ under Biden, new report reveals
Five years after ICIJ’s Solitary Voices, researchers found U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement continues to isolate immigrants en masse, including many with known mental health conditions.
Jan 31, 2024
Whistleblower accuses medical tech giant Medtronic of putting ‘profit before patients’
ICIJ’s Implant Files uncovered controversial deals between Medtronic and hospitals around the world. Now, a former U.S. sales representative alleges the company used kickbacks and pressure tactics to make sales, despite patient injuries.
Jan 17, 2024
New US company ownership database faces continued political attacks weeks after launch
Advocates have warned that criticism and challenges from business groups and their political allies are sowing confusion and fear among business owners.
Dec 22, 2023
New US rule targeting real estate money laundering slated for early 2024
The Treasury Department is expected to announce its plan to address a loophole that experts warn enables criminals to stash dirty money in the United States.
Nov 20, 2023
A US billionaire took over a tropical island pension fund — then hundreds of millions of dollars allegedly went missing
With help from PwC Cyprus, Hushang Ansary set up shell companies and oversaw a series of transactions that authorities say drained a Curacao fund holding pensions for 30,000 people.
Sep 13, 2023
IRS investigating sanctioned Russian oligarchs’ use of South Dakota trusts, agent says
The agency has dedicated a team to uncovering oligarchs’ assets stashed in South Dakota’s secretive trusts, which ICIJ’s Pandora Papers revealed are popular with bad actors seeking to anonymously hide wealth.
Jul 16, 2018
IRS spent $380m but took ‘limited or no action’ on offshore tax dodges
The U.S. government took "limited or no action" to battle secret offshore holdings, despite spending $380 million on a new initiative.