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 "phony" ...
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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
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NJ Educators free to use Diploma Mills
Top school officials and superintendents exploited state law to receive degrees from phony diploma mills. Taxpayers spent tens of thousands in bonuses until their actions were uncovered.dd
Tags: administrator; Freehold Regional; pay raise; Department of Education; tuition; Breyer State;
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Overseas Donors
The Associated Press investigated whether any donors to presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain with foreign addresses were illegal foreign donors; whether the two campaigns were guarding against illegal foreign money by asking overseas donors for copies of their current U.S. passports as the Federal Election Commission instructs; and to what extent the two campaigns were failing to disclose basic information about donors such as their employers and occupations. The AP reviewed hundreds of thousands of donations from around the globe and found evidence that both campaigns took money first and asked questions later. The reporters found a smattering of illegal foreign donations to Obama as well as missing details in federal paperwork the law requires from Obama and McCain. During interviews with 123 donors in 11 countries, The AP found that Obama accepted illegal contributions from at least three foreigners. In one case, a Canadian noted with is donation that he was not an American; the Obama campaign accepted his money anyway, and the Canadian's note about his foreign citizenship actually appeared in Obama's campaign finance report. A donor in Australia admitted to the AP that he entered a phony passport number when making an Internet contribution to Obama. Just five donors, three for Obama and two for McCain, told the AP that the campaigns asked to see copies of their current U.S. passports.
Tags: Barack Obama; John McCain; campaign finance; illegal donations; foreign donations; campaign regulation; 2008 presidential election
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The Trouble with the New Superintendent
Charlie Milligan, the new superintendent hired by the Tacoma School Board, was shown to have "poor relationships with his own staff," hired "a key administrator with phony credentials" and "clash with the police" after a school shooting.
Tags: education; school administration; school shooting; employee; severance package
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Rush to Judgment
Without using anonymous or unnamed sources the News & Observer looks at the "phony rape charges" brought against the three Duke lacrosse players. The paper specifically looked at the "prosecutorial and police misconduct"
Tags: Duke; lacrosse; sexual assault; rape; police department; Mike Nifong; Durham; misconduct
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RX for Fraud
Forbes delves into attempts to defraud Medicare, focussing on the new drug benefit for seniors. A smaller version of the program has already been assailed by fraudulent HMO's, pharmacies and some individuals peddling phony prescription cards. Already millions of dollars in fines for prohibited activities have been levied against companies and individuals, a mere prelude of what is to come as a result of a complex program that leaves the "work of guarding the henhouse" to foxes.
Tags: Medicare; fraud; senior citizens; prescription drugs; pharmaceuticals; drug benefits
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Detroit's Terror Trial
In 2003, three men in Detroit were tried on charges of terror-related crimes. They were all of Arab descent and had phony passports. After all three were convicted, reporters conducted an investigation of the trial and found that at least a hundred documents had been withheld from defense lawyers and the chief witness against the men was an international con-artist. The convictions were thrown out and the prosecutor was charged with misconduct.
Tags: war on terror; attorney general John Ashcroft; Patriot Act; sleeper-cells; terrorism; consititutional rights; civil rights; FBI; justice department; federal court
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Authenticating Andy
After Andy Warhol's death, his will established a foundation in his name. Part of the duty of this foundation is to authenticate pieces of his work and discredit phonies. As this article uncovers, in the past decade, many works have been dismissed as fake without good reason. This often slights private owners while benefitting the foundation itself.
Tags: art; Andy Warhol; portrait; picture; painting; artwork; authentication board; estate; curator
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Scarred for Life
This investigation found that it is fairly common in San Francisco for phony doctors to use beauty shops as a place to perform illegal cosmetic procedures. The doctors do cosmetic surgeries ranging from collagen injections to breast enlargement, even though they are largely unlicensed to do those procedures. As a result, many of their patients are facing serious health problems.
Tags: medical license; underground surgery; beauty salons; malpractice
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A 9/11 phony
This series examined the claims of a man who said he suffered a raft of illnesses resulting from his 9/11 rescue efforts at Ground Zero. He was awarded nearly $650,000 from the victims compensation fund, but the newspaper found evidence that his tales of heroism and life-threatening injuries were not true. The newspaper revealed that the man has a 20-year history of "exaggeration, self-promotion, freeloading and very little evidence of real rescue work."
Tags: 9/11; September 11; September 11th Victims Compensation Fund; con; fraud; Ground Zero