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 "overpricing" ...
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State of Your Money
The investigation reveals a shocking spending habit by Indiana's state government, while Indiana is faced with a statewide budget crisis. Through this investigation, it was found "nearly 1.7 million expenditures in Indiana's general ledger". The examination uncovered the purchasing of many overpriced and pointless items, such as office furniture, luxury trips, and promotional items. Overall, they spent "millions of dollars" on these items in total. As a result, action was taken and a statewide review of spending took place and new policies were underway.
Tags: budget; money; revenue; profit; state; taxpayers; tax dollars; government; expenses
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Bull! A history of the boom and bust, 1982-2004
This book examines the Great Bull Market of 1982-1999 and the fallout that followed. Overpriced stocks sucked capital out of the U.S. economy. Billions of dollars that could have been invested in needed projects such as power plants and oil refineries were squandered on massive overinvestment in the technology sector. Individual investors caught up in the mania sacrificed their retirement nest egg or children's college fund for the hyped promises of the stock market -- gambling with money that they could ill afford to lose.
Tags: stock market; bull market; Great Bull Market; investing; stocks; 401 (k); investments
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Veterinary care without the bite
The story revealed excesses in veterinary care. "Veterinarians have been raising fees at more than twice the rate of overall inflation, pushing expensive and sometimes unproven procedures and fighting to maintain a lock on overpriced pet drugs". Tips for consumers to save thousands of dollars on their pet's care.
Tags: veterinarian; pet insurance; spay; pet
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Stone Cold Chemicals
WAGA-TV investigated Stone Cold Chemicals, which "sells cleaning supplies to federal, state and local government offices across the country. They generate millions of dollars -- tax dollars -- by offering the government supervisor a gift. In exchange, the supervisor agrees to order what are often over-priced supplies. (WAGA-TV) found the company giving supervisors what they called a 'premium,' worth as much as 10 percent of what they ordered. Purchasing agents told (WAGA-TV) this type of sales tactic is unethical, and in their opinion, illegal. That may explain why the company often sent those expensive gifts to the supervisor's home instead of the office."
Tags: Stone Cold Chemicals; conflicts of interest; federal; state; local; government; gifts; politics; tax dollars; TAPE; TRANSCRIPT
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Anatomy of a deal: airport buys out academy
"In a deal largely bankrolled by taxpayers and aided by an unusually generous property appraisal, county officials have agreed to buy a private school and allow it to move from an airport flight path to a county-owned site for a public park," The Palm Beach Post reports. The story is about the purchase of King's Academy campus by Palm Beach International Airport for $14.5 million. It was not a coincidence that the airport's director children attended the school. Federal Aviation Administration officials admitted they had not checked the overpriced deal.
Tags: aviation; land purchases; property; FAA; county government spending
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Their American Nightmare
Newsday looks at a housing scam in Suffolk County, involving predatory lending practices. The investigation reports a complex mortgage fraud scheme orchestrated by Isaac Toussie and his father Robert Toussie, and reveals that the HUD department has filed felony charges against Toussie and 19 others. "Toussie worked in concert with real estate attorneys, mortgage bankers and appraisers to enrich himself by selling overpriced homes to unexperienced first-time buyers, mostly minorities from the city," Newsday reports. The articles also expose the close business ties between the one of the developers and the top county real estate official.
Tags: construction; homebuyers; Housing and Urban Development (HUD); real estate; fraud; mortgages; Suffolk County; Brookhaven Town; minorities; Gordon Heights
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Raytheon Finds New Problems With Missiles
This set of articles and documents highlights some recent defense contract issues. The Navy is withholding millions of dollars from the Raytheon Co. until it fixes problems with its Joint Standoff Weapon (J-SOW) and Tamahawk missile. Raytheon was also target by the U.S. Inspector General for extreme mark-ups on contracted merchandise (259 percent in one case). Also included are an executive summary from the Inspector General on determining price resonableness on contracts, a memorandum concerning failure to obtain reasonable prices and and a spreadsheet/appendix of specific military contracts that were overpriced.
Tags: defense contract; U.S. Army; U.S. Navy; Raytheon Co.; Joint Standoff Weapon; J-SOW; Tomahawk missile; Inspector General; overpricing
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Public Funds, Private Profits
A KXLY-TV investigation into an overpriced parking garage leads Tom Grant and Adele Steiger to discover a complicated property scheme that diverted $10 million in public funds into a private project. The KXLY-TV team discovered that Spokane's most powerful family, the Cowles, used its leverage to get a the parking lot built through a public-private partnership. However, now the city is losing money from the deal while the Cowles are still reaping huge profits -- and the city's major media outlets, all owned by the Cowles, are refusing to investigate this issue's obvious conflicts of interest.
Tags: TAPE; TRANSCRIPT; Spokane; Washington; Cowles; money; finances; public funds; profits
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Dream merchants
This Asbury Park Press series investigates real estate deals done by Thomas Fauntleroy and a group of associates in depressed areas of Monmouth County, NJ. They sold these homes to minority buyers for a lot more than what they paid and also directed them to get mortages from Fauntleroy's brother. The homes were not only overpriced but the value of them was less than the loan amounts approved for buyers. There were numerous Federal Housing Association violations including FHA-insured loans to Fauntleroy and associates.
Tags: investment properties; deed and mortgage records; Mortgage Acceptance
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No title (id: 12317)
Money magazine takes a close look at the wholesale ripping off of the elderly, particularly older women. Every day, white-collar thieves relieve them of cash with slick telephone solicitations, mailings and door-to-door pitches for things like overpriced insurance, bogus charities, and sweepstakes that promise to relieve their victims of money worries. (November 1995)
Tags: Mark Elder Fraud Con artists Senior citizens Consumer scams 10 pgs.