District officials elaborated more on the allegations this week that as many as many as 150 current and former city employees allegedly drew unemployment insurance payments at the same time they earned their regular salaries. more ›

Double dipping at a party might get you some nasty looks, but doing it when you work for the District's government will get you fired and prosecuted. more ›

The Department of Housing and Community Development has fired an employee involved with overseeing an apartment project by the youth outreach group Peaceoholics in which two Maryland developers allegedly defrauded the city of millions of dollars. more ›

Another day, another investigation into potential fraud inside a city agency which has led to the termination of another city employee. This time around, it's the Department of Employment Services, which has fired interim associate director of unemployment compensation Gaby Fraser amid a D.C. Inspector General investigation into possible fraud. more ›

A former server at the Wisconsin Avenue Cheesecake Factory has plead guilty to organizing a fraud ring to steal customers' credit card information, reports NBC4. Nicole Ward was charged with bank fraud last May after two fellow servers attested that she had recruited themin the scheme, racking up $117,000 in charges from June 2008 to May 2009 and taking information from nearly 90 credit cards. Sentencing will occur October 29; Ward faces nearly 30 years in prison. more ›

A former employee of the Cheesecake Factory on Wisconsin Ave. has been charged with facilitating a fraud ring that led to $117,000 worth of bogus charges on the credit cards of diners, Freeman Klopott reports in the Sunday Examiner. more ›

Several news outlets are reporting that Nationals shortstop prospect Esmailyn "Smiley" Gonzalez, whom the team signed for a $1.4 million bonus (a franchise record for an international signing), apparently lied about his name and age to the organization. "Smiley" is actually Carlos Alvarez Daniel Lugo, and a Major League Baseball investigation revealed he was 19, not 16, as the Nats thought when they signed him in 2006. more ›

Six suspected con artists have been arrested for their involvement in a counterfeit Metro fare card scheme. more ›

WTOP's Mark Segraves discovered that a veteran MPD officer is being investigated for fraud due to allegedly being paid $200,000 in improper overtime. The officer had to hand in her badge and gun and has been reassigned to desk duty during the investigation, but she's still on the payroll. The investigation into her time sheets has been handed over to the U.S. Attorney's office. This story reminds us that excessive overtime has long been a problem that plagues D.C. government agencies and costs the city money. more ›

Good morning, Washington. Think good thoughts for Tian Tian, the National Zoo's male giant panda and the biological father of Tai Shan/Butterstick. Tian Tian underwent eye surgery yesterday to remove inflamed tissue from one of his third eyelids. He's expected to make a full recovery, but in the meantime he'll have to live with the shame of being the one to expose this whole pandas having third eyelids monstrosity. DCist has always held a firm editorial stand that pandas are adorable, but after learning this fact we may have to convene our board to reconsider. more ›

Good morning, Washington. If you experienced a power outage at some point on Sunday, you were not alone. Strong winds averaging close to 40 mph knocked out power to as many as 100,000 customers across the metro area yesterday. While not much ice or snow ever materialized during the weekend's storm, Sunday's chilly wind made for an uncomfortable time walking through downtown D.C. for many holiday shoppers -- we spotted at least one woman near Chinatown whose skirt was blown up almost entirely over her head. Slightly less strong winds are expected to continue throughout the day today, so if you wore anything billowy or potentially revealing, we hope you picked out some nice underwear this morning. more ›

Good morning, Washington. We hope you had a pleasant and restful evening despite the howling wind and bitter cold. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee had a bit of a rough night last night herself, as she was greeted by throngs of angry Ward 5 parents at the first community meeting that allowed her to present the school closures plan to the public. Ward 5 D.C. Council member Harry Thomas Jr. had set up the separate meeting... more ›

>> The law firm that uncovered widespread fraud at Enron is now investigating the tax fraud case at the D.C. Office of Tax and Revenue. [WTOP] >> The swear word directed at Mayor Fenty by Council member Marion Barry, revealed. [City Desk] >> "So if giving CNN yet another chance to screw up major debates is the first mistake, then allowing Wolf Blitzer to moderate one of them (Anderson Cooper the other, meh) is... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Not that you could have missed the fact that it's awfully windy this morning after yesterday's late fall rainstorm, but the National Weather Service has issued a wind advisory for the metro area, effective through 1 a.m. Tuesday morning — this wind will consistently be 25-30 mph until late tonight, with gusts over 46 mph expected. If you drive an SUV or another type of high profile vehicle, you're asked to use... more ›

Happy Thanksgiving, Washington. The streets are quiet this morning in the capital; one cab driver remarked to this writer that it was his favorite day to drive in the city -- no traffic, no tourists, and everyone he picks up tends to be cheery and a big tipper. The forecast in D.C. today is calling for an unseasonably warm high of 72 degrees, with a solid chance of afternoon showers and gastrointestinal distress. What's the... more ›

Let's check in with the widening Office of Tax and Revenue embezzlement scandal, shall we? Over the weekend, the Washington Post reported that two more tax office employees had been placed on leave from their jobs in connection with the alleged $20 million-plus fraud, though CFO Natwar Gandhi refused to identify them except to say they work in the real property assessment division of the office. Four senior managers have tendered their resignation since the... more ›

Welcome back to work, Washington. We don't know about you, but we spent an awfully long time in the sun this weekend consuming too much food at various street festivals, so forgive us if we're still groggily pondering Saturday's news in WaPo that the fare change about to be proposed by Metro General Manager John Catoe is an "average increase" of 45 cents. That kind of increase would theoretically raise the base fare of a... more ›

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to September. After what was quite possibly the most beautiful weekend in the history of late summer weather in this city, we've finally arrived at the date many of us still associate with "back-to-school" -- the Tuesday after Labor Day. So sharpen your pencils, polish your lunchbox and make sure you have the right Trapper Keeper as we check out today's headlines. At Least Four Weekend Killings: The Examiner... more ›

Good morning, Washington. It's just a gorgeous day outside right now, with temperatures currently in the 70s and only predicted to reach the upper 80s later this afternoon, which is about the best we can hope for in mid-August. Please make plans to eat your lunch outside accordingly, as this surely won't last through the week. Need a good story to gab about with your officemates as you head out into the sunshine? A... more ›

David Beckham made his long-awaited MLS debut last night at RFK stadium, entering the game in the 72nd minute but unable to help his Los Angeles Galaxy overcome a 1-0 defeat to D.C. United. We will have a full post on the game later this morning, but in the meantime, how was your evening commute affected by the 46,686 soccer match attendees crowding into Metro? Police Move Not Really Canceled?: So says the Washington... more ›

MONDAY: Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, will be at Politics and Prose to talk about her latest book, Peony in Love. 7 p.m. We had to yell "STOP THE PRESSES!" for this one. Laura Sessions Stepp, our favorite Washington Post personality, will be at Arlington Central Library to promote her latest book Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both. For those of you unfamiliar with... more ›

>> Experts warn of lightning-strike injuries with iPods [AP via CNN.com] >> "The District has awarded a contract for managing its troubled Medicaid transportation program to a St. Louis-area company that the Missouri governor's office called 'scurrilous' after the company paid millions of dollars to resolve a fraud investigation." [WashTimes] >> "In the lingo of anti-smoking zealots, smoke flow from dwelling to dwelling is called “seepage” and for now, it seems, there’s nothing a renter... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Usually, we get pretty excited about coming in to work only to discover that the big, unwieldy and potentially troublesome meeting that was scheduled has been canceled. That's often a gold star kind of day that deserves a special trip out for a fancy coffee, and maybe doing a little jig behind the closed door of your office, right? But we have to express some serious disappointment that this meeting appears to... more ›

Brenda L. Belton, who was fired last year from her job as director of the Office of Charter School Oversight amid allegations of embezzlement and fraud, has indicated she will plead guilty to five counts, including theft from a program receiving public funds, conversion of public money, bankruptcy fraud, and federal and local tax evasion. Belton stands accused of wrongfully paying herself more than $418,000, and wrongfully obligating the government in seven separate contracts worth... more ›

>> Dan Steinberg has some classic footage on "Bog TV' of Preakness Race fans drunk off their gourds. One guy's insistence that "this is what Maryland is all about," and by "this" he means heavy drinking, is just fun for the whole family. [D.C. Sports Bog] >> Fairfax County police locked down Willow Springs Elementary School in Centreville this morning after reports of a shooting in the nearby area. The school re-opened around noon without... more ›

>> More than 302 vehicles, most of them with Maryland or Virginia registration, currently have 26 or more outstanding parking tickets in the District that add up to more than $1.1 million in fines. A testament to the inefficiency of the city's ability to collect, or the aggressive nature of our parking laws? [WashTimes] >> A judge dismissed a lawsuit by Robert Steinbuch (he of Jessica Cutler/Washingtonienne fame) against former Wonkette editor and current... more ›

There's nothing like a little good old waste, fraud, and abuse, to get Washington all riled up! The world of transit in the nation's Capital was rocked by two reports this week, which point to several examples of all three. Let the fallout begin! Also this week: Metro parking goes high-tech and low-frustration. Finally, brace yourself, Washington... The much ballyhooed Metro performers - songsters, dancers, and jugglers galore - are coming to a station... more ›

>> In wake of yesterday's tragedy, Virginia Tech has canceled most of its spring sports events. [ABC 7] >> Two Secret Service officers have been injured in an accidental shooting outside the White House, inside the southwest gate security booth. Secret Service spokeswoman Kim Bruce said one officer was injured in the leg and the other received a shrapnel wound in his face. It's not clear how the accidental shooting took place. The Secret Service... more ›

We here in the Ist-A-Verse know that we're sensational, but it's very rare that we get a chance to be sensationalistic. This week, we've decided to have ourselves a little fun and try our hand at tacky tabloid headlines, using nothing more than our favorite posts from this week. Torontoist Special Report: Rosie to Trump: "Fire 300 Bicyclists for Fraud!" On DCist: Students Go Wild for Slogans, Secrets and Sexual Harassment The action was thick... more ›

Many schools are still closed and roads and sidewalks still dangerously icy this morning as the region struggles to dig out of the winter storm that passed through earlier this week. Most of the really bad news continues to come out of the suburbs, where many homes are still without power, and injuries and at least one death have been reported. The Post has a good rundown of the extent of the metro area's ice... more ›