In ‘The Kingmaker,’ Sordid Past is Prelude

Jordan Riefe / Truthdig Nov 7, 2019 Filmmaker Lauren Greenfield looks at Imelda Marcos then and now, older but still toxic. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

New Details Alleged in Scheme to Make Millions Off Border Wall

Kiah Collier/ The Texas Tribune and T. Christian Miller / ProPublica Jan 30, 2018 The latest lawsuit filing in Hidalgo County, Texas, talks of kickback deals worked out over drinks and steak dinners. Dig deeper ( 6 Min. Read )

Women Hit Harvey Weinstein With Racketeering Suit

By LARRY NEUMEISTER / The Associated Press Dec 6, 2017 The producer and other current or former board members—dubbed the "Weinstein Sexual Enterprise"—are accused of having operated like an organized crime group. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

America’s Next Top Douche Bag

Staff / Truthdig Apr 15, 2009 Only 24 hours after pleading not guilty to racketeering and fraud charges on Tuesday, former Illinois Gov Rod Blagojevich has accepted a reality television deal to be one of 10 contestants competing in "I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!" As if his hair was destined for anything but television stardom?. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Former Illinois Governor Is Denied Appeal, Stays in Prison

Staff / Truthdig May 28, 2008 The fraud and racketeering case against former Illinois Gov. George Ryan has come to an end after the U.S. Supreme Court rejected his final request to appeal his 2006 conviction. With no other move to make, Ryan, who has been incarcerated since late 2007, will likely seek a commutation of his six-year sentence from President Bush. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

‘D.C. Madam’ Left Suicide Notes

Staff / Truthdig May 6, 2008 Deborah Jean Palfrey, whose Washington, DC-based call-girl ring earned her notoriety and the nickname the "D Madam," left two suicide notes behind when she (apparently) hanged herself last Thursday behind her mother's Florida home . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Jefferson Insists He’s Innocent

Staff / Truthdig Jun 9, 2007 Louisiana Congressman William Jefferson, a Democrat, flatly denied bribery charges accusing him of attempting, through various means, to illegally drum up over $500,000 from African business deals. Jefferson declared Friday that he will fight to save his reputation, already besmirched by the mysterious $90,000 in cash found stuffed in a freezer during a 2005 raid on his Washington, D.C. home. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Court Sides With Abortion Protesters

Staff / Truthdig Feb 28, 2006 The Supreme Court ruling had nothing to do with the underlying issue of abortion. Rather, the court ruled that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban demonstrations. (Alito, by the way, sat this one out.) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )