DEA Launders Money for Mexican Drug Cartels

Staff / Truthdig Dec 4, 2011 To what length should governments enable crime in order to catch criminals? That’s the ethical issue raised by a New York Times article that reports DEA agents have laundered millions of dollars in drug proceeds to battle Mexican cartels. More than 40,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence in Mexico since 2006. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

DeLay Gets Three-Year Jail Sentence

Staff / Truthdig Jan 11, 2011 Despite drumming up support in the form of testimony from former House Speaker Dennis Hastert and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, onetime US House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and his legal team have failed to ward off a jail sentence . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Russia to West: Lay off the Khodorkovsky Case

Staff / Truthdig Dec 29, 2010 The Russian government would like certain of its Western counterparts, particularly Germany and the U.S., to know that their critiques of the Russian justice system's approach to the trial of sometime Putin antagonist and oil magnate Mikhail Khodorkovsky are unwelcome at this time. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

DeLay Found Guilty in Money Laundering Case

Staff / Truthdig Nov 25, 2010 The holiday special for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was a big helping of guilty-as-charged Wednesday, as the former Republican lawmaker found himself on the wrong side of the Texas legal system in a money laundering case (continued). Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Vatican Bank Embroiled in Money-Laundering Probe

Staff / Truthdig Sep 21, 2010 The Vatican has another holy mess on its hands, this time of the financial sort, as the man in charge of the Holy See's official bank, one Ettore Gotti Tedeschi, is under investigation as part of a money-laundering case, according to the BBC. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

UBS Money Laundering: What Did Phil Gramm Know?

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Aug 19, 2009 In recent days yet another wealthy private customer of the Swiss-based banking conglomerate UBS admitted to criminal fraud in a growing parade of perp walks that could extend into the thousands. It is a case that threatens to ensnare former Sen. Phil Gramm, the Texas Republican who is vice chairman of UBS’ investment banking business.Was Phil Gramm truly unaware of the widespread efforts at UBS to defraud the U.S. Treasury? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

From the Freezer to the Cooler

Staff / Truthdig Aug 6, 2009 Former U.S. Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana, who memorably repurposed his freezer to accommodate an illicit stash of $90,000 in cash, was convicted by a federal jury Wednesday and could be looking at 20 years in the slammer. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

N.J. Politicians, Rabbis Arrested on Corruption Charges

Staff / Truthdig Jul 23, 2009 Forty-four people were arrested Thursday -- including three New Jersey mayors, two state legislators and several rabbis -- in a federal investigation into public corruption and an international money-laundering scheme in which items ranging from human organs to fake designer bags were trafficked. 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 )

Texas Roundup

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Dec 6, 2005 No get-out-of-jail-free card for former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay A Texas court upheld a felony indictment for DeLay on charges of money laundering in connection with a 2002 Texas election A separate indictment for criminal conspiracy was dismissed . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )