ITEMP News

01/10/2023

Investigations into pandemic-era fraud and improper relief payments are continuing, but the federal government still does not know how much money was stolen. Nevertheless, prosecutors are confident they will advance the volume of indictments this year as access to millions of data records and sources from the agencies involved facilitates audits at a breakneck pace in what is becoming one of the most significant fraud investigations in recent years.

Funds sent by Congress and the White House between 2020 and 2021 for five trillion dollars in Covid-19 relief programs and spending unleashed a disproportionate wave of fraudulent loans and aid that, in 2022, kept enforcement agencies working against the clock to find the fraudsters.

In the last year, the federal oversight community has been working with data science experts recruited by government agencies to analyze millions of public and non-public data to find potential fraudsters.

“We don’t know the full scale of fraud yet, and it’s important to note that money is still being spent. But our members have hundreds of ongoing audits and investigations. Every time one of these gets completed, we learn more about the scope of the fraud,” said Robert A. Westbrooks, director of the federal Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC).

According to prosecutors, most defendants followed the same scheme, sometimes running multiple operations in different states. Upon obtaining the loot, they would spend it on eccentricities, luxury items, or property, which the Department of Justice is now seizing or seeking to reclaim.

12/19/2022

Fire investigators from the Miami-Dade Fire Department (M.D.F.R.) could not determine what caused the fire at Tropicana Flea Market on July 7, 2022. However, authorities did not rule out the possibility that it was caused by improper use of a portable burner stove at a food stand.

There are forty-four merchants, mostly Latino immigrants, who lost their merchandise in the fire at the Tropicana Flea Market at Northwest 37th Street and 30th Avenue in Miami-Dade.

The fire destroyed thousands of products and goods, including electronics, clothing, tools, jewelry, and food. A pet store was nearby, so dozens of birds died from suffocation and burns.

Initially, it was reported that a market trader’s cooking stove caused the flames that caused the fire that day. However, firefighters could not confirm or exclude that hypothesis, although they did not rule it out either.

“Due to the extensive fire damage, was unable to determine the point of origin. The first fuel was not determined. The ignition source was not identified. Could not rule out the possibility that this fire was the result of the portable burner being left on and catching the surrounding material on fire,” the report reveals.

“No fire cause hypothesis was reached to a reasonable degree of scientific certainty. This fire will be classified as ‘undetermine’,” wrote M.D.F.R. Lt. Gerard Forrester, who conducted the investigation.

The conclusion of undetermined fire “is based on the fire patterns observed, fire dynamics, combustibles in the area of the fire origin, competent ignition sources in the area of origin, and the witness statements obtained,” Forrester wrote.

Due to the fire, flea market merchants have faced difficulty locating other venues to sell their products, adding obstacles to receiving private or federal financial assistance. Because the market has remained closed, products saved from the fire have been trapped inside.

The city sent a warning in October, informing them they could not continue to sell on the street in front of the flea market. Fines would be imposed if they refused to comply.

10/26/2022

Los silenciosos cartoneros de las calles de Miami

Invisibles pero esenciales para la industria internacional del reciclaje, los cartoneros del condado de Miami-Dade se ganan la vida rompiendo a mano cada pieza de cartón sin garantías de un ingreso justo ni protecciones laborales. https://www.itempnews.org/2022/10/22/silenciosos-cartoneros/

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Invisibles pero esenciales para la industria del reciclaje, los cartoneros de Miami-Dade no tienen garantías de un ingreso justo ni protecciones laborales.

10/17/2022

Mientras pasaban los meses y Alejandro Andrade, extesorero nacional de Venezuela, estaba encerrado en una prisión estadounidense por lavado de dinero, Yanoselli Colmenares, su exesposa, compró y vendió casi una decena de viviendas en el condado de Palm Beach, Florida, donde la familia vivió con opulencia en el pasado, a expensas de cientos de millones de dólares que recibió de la corrupción venezolana, revela una investigación de Itempnews.

El conjunto de ocho viviendas se ubica en la ciudad de Wellington, Palm Beach, y está valorado en más de tres millones de dólares, según los hallazgos de Itempnews. Dos de las propiedades están disponibles para rentar por 25 000 dólares al mes, mientras el resto se ha revalorizado. Otra fue vendida en octubre de 2019 por 1.1 millones de dólares, de acuerdo con los registros de propiedad del condado examinados para esta historia. https://bit.ly/3CBQ5Jr

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Ocho viviendas se ubican en la ciudad de Wellington, Palm Beach. Alejandro Andrade estuvo preso en EEUU por recibir sobornos por mil millones de dólares.

10/05/2022

El obstinado esfuerzo por liberar rehenes estadounidenses tiene su precio

El Gobierno de Venezuela liberó el sábado a siete estadounidenses encarcelados, incluidos cinco ejecutivos de Citgo Petroleum, a cambio de que la Casa Blanca entregara a dos sobrinos de Cilia Flores, la esposa del presidente venezolano, Nicolás Maduro, que desde 2016 cumplían condenas por tráfico de dr**as, informó la Casa Blanca.

El canje incluyó además al veterano de la Marina estadounidense Matthew Heath y otro ciudadano llamado Osman Khan, lo que constituye una de las mayores liberaciones de estadounidenses detenidos en el extranjero en los últimos 30 años, al menos públicamente.

La decisión abre un intenso debate sobre si esto representa una ruptura a la política de larga data de los gobiernos estadounidenses de no negociar con terroristas o criminales, y si es necesario liberar a delincuentes condenados por Estados Unidos para traer de vuelta a sus ciudadanos retenidos injustamente en el extranjero. https://t.co/nh1Ufb2D4p

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La decisión del presidente Biden de canjear a dos narcotraficantes venezolanos por siete estadounidenses detenidos en Caracas, ha despertado críticas.

09/27/2022

Tras la pista en Florida de $700 millones en sobornos al extesorero de Venezuela

Registros del Departamento de Justicia obtenidos por Itempnews, ofrecen un amplio vistazo al botín de más de $300 millones que el antiguo guardaespaldas de Hugo Chávez comenzó a entregar el mismo día que los fiscales estadounidenses lo acusaron de lavado de dinero por mil millones de dólares.

Uno de los funcionarios más corruptos del Gobierno socialista de Venezuela acumuló $ 304 millones mientras derrochaba opulencia en el sur de Florida, pero el Departamento de Justicia continúa con las pesquisas para recuperar más dinero, según registros obtenidos por Itempnews en virtud de la Ley de Libertad de Información.

Si el militar Alejandro Andrade Cedeño, antiguo guardaespaldas del fallecido presidente venezolano Hugo Chávez, y tesorero nacional de Venezuela, alcanzó un estatus de socialité en los círculos ecuestres del sur de Florida, fue a costa de una trama de lavado de dinero que involucró más de mil millones de dólares en sobornos y lo convirtieron en multimillonario. https://www.itempnews.org/2022/09/26/dinero-andrade/

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Uno de los funcionarios más corruptos de ese país recibió mil millones de dólares en sobornos. Solo se encontraron $304 millones. La búsqueda sigue.

09/06/2022

Performing an abortion is now a felony punishable by up to life in prison in Texas after the state’s trigger law, which has only narrow exceptions to save the life of a pregnant patient, went into effect on August 25.

The law was “triggered” when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to set their own laws about abortion.
Abortion clinics across Texas had already stopped performing the procedure, fearing prosecution under state laws that were on the books before Roe v. Wade.

Texas now has three significant abortion bans in place and several administrative regulations governing the procedure, setting up a potential conflict as the largest state to ban abortion navigates this new legal landscape.

The trigger law criminalizes performing an abortion from the moment of fertilization unless the pregnant patient is facing “a life-threatening physical condition aggravated by, caused by, or arising from a pregnancy.” The statute specifically prohibits prosecuting a pregnant patient who undergoes an abortion.

Violations of the law are punishable by up to life in prison. The statute also says that the attorney general “shall” seek a civil penalty of not less than $100,000, plus attorney’s fees.

Visit that link to learn more about this new legislation

Texas now has three significant abortion bans in place and several administrative regulations governing the procedure, setting up a potential conflict.

09/04/2022

Performing an abortion is now a felony punishable by up to life in prison in Texas after the state’s trigger law, which has only narrow exceptions to save the life of a pregnant patient, went into effect on August 25.

The law was “triggered” when the U.S. Supreme Court issued its judgment in Dobbs v. Jackson, the case that overturned Roe v. Wade and allowed states to set their own laws about abortion.

Abortion clinics across Texas had already stopped performing the procedure, fearing prosecution under state laws that were on the books before v. Wade.

Texas now has three significant abortion bans in place and several administrative regulations governing the procedure, setting up a potential conflict as the largest state to ban abortion navigates this new legal landscape.

Violations of the law are punishable by up to life in prison. The statute also says that the attorney general “shall” seek a civil penalty of not less than $100,000, plus attorney’s fees.

The Texas District and County Attorneys Association has raised concerns about this language.

Charles “Rocky” Rhodes, a law professor at the South Texas College of Law, said it’s not yet clear whether the $100,000 penalty would foreclose criminal prosecution.
“I might try [that defense] if I was representing somebody, but … I don’t think there’s a clear slam dunk there,” he said.

This story was initially published in

*The Texas Tribune authorized the Itempnews Project to reproduce in English and Spanish the original article titled: Texans who perform abortions now face up to life in prison, $100,000 fine.

08/16/2022

Todos los republicanos en el Congreso y el Senado votaron en contra del Plan de Rescate Estadounidense (ARP, en inglés) de $ 1.9 trillones, que el presidente Joe Biden finalmente promulgó como ley en marzo de 2021.

A cuatro meses de las elecciones intermedias, los gobernadores republicanos están utilizando el paquete de estímulo para impulsar discretamente sus respectivas reelecciones y agendas a expensas de los fondos que una vez demonizaron.

A medida que los republicanos buscan obtener el control de la Cámara de Representantes en noviembre, sus propuestas apuntan cada vez más a “controlar los billones de dólares imprudentes de gasto” en torno a ARP y otras leyes de gasto social, como dijo la presidenta de la conferencia republicana, la representante Elise Stefanik.
Pero hasta ahora, ninguno de sus gobernadores se ha negado a gastar los fondos federales extraordinarios en sus estados para diversos programas. Por el contrario, aceleraron la máquina de gastos.

Los estados se han apropiado de una parte sustancial de sus Fondos de Recuperación Fiscal (FRF), pero quedan más de $75 mil millones, incluidos $40 mil millones que el Departamento del Tesoro distribuirá este año a los estados que reciben esta asistencia en dos tramos, indicó un informe del Centro de Prioridades Presupuestarias y Políticas (CBPP).

Ingresa al link para leer más de esta historia de ITEMP

Los gobernadores republicanos están utilizando el paquete de estímulo para impulsar discretamente sus respectivas reelecciones y agendas políticas.

08/02/2022

For Half of Americans, Civil War Seems Imminent

At least half of U.S. society shares the belief that «in the next few years there will be a civil war» in the country, according to a nationally representative survey, in which one in five polled justified political violence and is willing to use a weapon to achieve goals they support.

It is not the first time that the threat of civil war emerges from an opinion poll in times of extreme polarization such as those felt today in the United States, where the oldest constitutional democracy in the world is under strong questioning by a good part of its citizens, saturated with conspiracy theories.

The online survey by researchers at the University of California, David, was released on July 19.

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A majority share the belief that "in the next few years there will be a civil war" in the country, according to a nationally representative survey, in which one in five people justified political violence and is willing to use a weapon to achieve objectives they support.

07/29/2022

Florida state law does not require a registry of firearm ownership, nor do authorities keep track of guns lost and stolen from its citizens, creating a gap in criminal studies and investigations amid widespread violence sweeping in through the nation.
Florida local police have their own records, but they are not required to share them either. Therefore, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) and the Governor’s Office have no idea of the exact or estimated number of missing guns circulating in the city.
Should Florida Governor Ron DeSantis want to know right now how many missing guns there are in the state, his officials would have to contact local law enforcement in each city and county to provide data collected within their jurisdictions. It might take days.

It is “ghost data” that wanders between the right to privacy and the right to bear arms. The Governor's Office doesn't have any unified records of lost guns

07/27/2022

If you even half-paid attention in high school history class, you might be forgiven for thinking that federal courts are the most powerful courts in the land.

After all, they’ve been responsible for landmark rulings about everything from abortion rights to school desegregation — disputes so well-known, the cases are household names: Roe v. Wade. Brown v. Board of Education.

Despite those high-profile decisions, when it comes to protecting prisoners’ rights and avoiding executions of innocent people, the top courts in the land are oddly impotent. https://bit.ly/3vkh3Cr

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The Supreme Court has just extended legislation that many have never heard of. Experts say the "Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act" is actually putting innocent people behind bars, and most of the cases it affects have nothing to do with terrorism or capital punishment.