The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "fake" ...
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The Dalí Sculpture Mess
The story describes the burgeoning industry in posthumous sculptures attributed to Salvador Dalí and the continuing difficulties experienced by the Gala-Salvador Dalí Foundation in Spain, which has responsibility for managing Dalí’s estate and legacy, in slowing the spread of these questionable works. The sculptures are often bought and sold as original works by the artist. The story demonstrates that, in fact, most of the sculptures were authorized by Dalí’s wife and business managers, either posthumously or when the artist and his wife were old and infirm, and continue to be produced long after the artist’s death, in 1989. Dalí had little or no direct involvement in the creation of many of them. The story also demonstrates that new, apparently fake versions of the sculptures continue to appear, some of them openly marketed by a Chinese foundry that has no license to make the sculptures. The story updates an investigation published in ARTnews in December 2008 that for the first time described the Dalí sculpture industry and identified the producers of the sculptures.
Tags: Sculptures; Salvador Dali; estate
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Identity Evil
"Identity Evil" is an in-depth look at a violent fake document cartel operating in states across the country. The cartel is the largest and most sophisticated fake id ring federal investigators have ever encountered. They were funneling millions of dollars from U.S. cities south of the border into Mexico. The cartel became synonymous with murder and torture as they sought to protect their turf from rival gangs and enforce discipline within their own organization. Using eyewitness accounts, federal wiretaps, and interviews with victim’s families, investigative reporter A.J. Lagoe and photojournalist Ben Arnold take viewers inside the cartel and document the violence that would prove to be their undoing.
Tags: Fake ID; federal wiretaps; violence; fake document cartel
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The Mysterious Case of Kevin Ku
The story reports on Kevin Xu -- a Chinese national who was cuaght trying to sell fake drugs to undercover immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and FDA agents in 2007.
Tags: Intellgectual Property Rights Coordination Center; IPRCC; Kevin Xu; FDA; ICE; Immigration and Customs Enforcement
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Crime Inc: Counterfeit Goods
The story gives viewers a rare look at the production and sale of counterfeit goods. Viewers hear the story of a company whose brand was copied as well as that of a defense contractor who made counterfeit defense parts used in Iraq.
Tags: counterfeit; raid; fake handbag; fake shoes; fake jewelry; designer; underground industry
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Sovereign Citizens Stealing Houses
The story investigated the criminal actions of anti-government extremists calling themselves sovereign citizens. Homes in foreclosure were being "stolen" by these suspects filing fake real estate paperwork at local courthouses.
Tags: sovereign citizens; anti-government; foreclosure; real estate; political movement
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"Just Like Us"
Author Helen Thorpe gives an in-depth look at the Mexican immigrant subculture within the U.S. Thorpe follows four Mexican girls, best friends, as they grow up in Denver. Two are legal residents, and two are not. When political arguments "over immigration rage fiercely," the girls struggle with the fate of their futures as the two without legal status learn they "do not possess equal opportunities or rights compared to" the others who do "possess legal status."
Tags: illegal immigration; Mexico; Denver; black market; stolen identity; fake documents; green card; Mexican immigrants
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"Breach of Trust"
Soldiers on all levels of the U.S. Armed Forces used fake college diplomas to increase chances of "promotions and pay raises." WHNT-TV revealed that several AMCOM employees had also presented "fake degrees" to the "Department of the Army." The investigation spurred a reconstruction of HR Specialist training, as the command's "ability to detect" to false diplomas was severely flawed.
Tags: U.S. Army; National Guard; Army Reserve; Department of the Army; U.S. Army and Department of Defense; General David Grange; Major General Jim Pillsbury; Army Aviation and Missile Command; U.S. Army Human Resource Command
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The Cloning Scam
"It is estimated that 37 thousand stolen vehicles are cloned every year in Brazil." To do so, they must use fake documents to pass car inspections, which allow them to receive counterfeit plates. To reveal all this activity, the reporter had to befriend these people and act as one of the gangs involved in the cloning scam. Also, the reporter learned how these criminal acts work and what it takes to pull this all off.
Tags: car cloning; Paraguay; gangs; drugs; criminal commerce; police; con; rip-off; inspections; cars
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Hospital Group
New York's 11 municipal hospitals are ridden with false records created by staff to cover up medical mistakes. In one instance, after gangrene was left untreated on a stroke victim, it became necessary to amputate his leg, yet no report was written. Hundreds of citations and complaints have been filed against the city hospitals, but few disciplinary measures have intervened.
Tags: New York; hospitals; operations; mistakes; botched; reports; false; faked; staff; cover-up;
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The Faking of the Russian Avant-Garde
The Russian modern art market is saturated with fake works. Many European museums and auction houses are completely filled with fraudulent pieces. Once source says that phony modern art from Russian far outnumbers authentic pieces. The problem is exacerbated by a network of experts and professionals who accept large fees to validate Russian modern art as authentic.
Tags: Russian; artwork; modern; fraud; false; fake; phony; bogus; avant-garde; collector; art market