Stop! Thief...
The Hogwash Report 116.0
Renown American bank robber William Francis (Willie) Sutton Jr., had a 40-year career knocking over financial institutions. He stole an estimated $2 million.
When asked why he robbed banks, Willie famously replied, “Because that’s where the money is.”
His often-quoted statement tells us why people today steal from our government.
That’s where the money is!
Sutton’s $2 million from multiple heists is pocket change for today’s thieves who prey on government our tax dollars.
Somali bandits made off with an estimated $9 BILLION from American taxpayers in the recently discovered Minnesota scandal of scandals.
In comparison, Sutton’s enterprise was a minor misdemeanor, or may just a parking ticket, but he landed on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted list — an honor not afforded any of the Somali pirates who raided the government coffers.
Using the latest numbers available from AI, the Minnesota Malfeasance exceeds by one-third the total credit card fraud in the United States in 2023, $6.2 billon.
The average bank robbery today nets thieves about $4,000.
You don’t need a gun to steal from banks these days. In 2024, $12.5 BILLION was stolen stolen by bank fraud.
That figure accounts for all banks in the U.S. The $9 BILLION heist in Minnesota is just one coordinated scam.
(This is a hold-on-to-your-hat warning)The Government Accountability Office (GA) estimates that the federal government loses between $233 billion and $521 billion annually to fraud. Those figures include “improper payments,” which include unintentional errors. In 2024 alone (under the Auto Penn Administration) $162 BILLION in improper payments were made. Since 2002 improper payments have totaled about $2.8 TRILLION.
Our government, that’s where the money is — and nobody’s watching it.
But Wait, There’s More…
We have other levels of government — state and local — and the thieves are at work there as well.
Occasionally the government auditors catch a culprit.
In California, 2025 and 2026 cases have found over $24 BILLION in pandemic fraud and improper homeless funding.
Example: A Los Angeles non-profit director was indicted in January for allegedly misappropriating over $23 million in funds meant for homeless services, using it for luxury homes and vacations.
In Illinois, noted for corrupt politicians and office holders, the bandits are smarter. They are often convicted of taking bribes instead of stealing from the government coffers. But, who knows how much bribery is costing the Illinois taxpayers?
Red States have thieves as well.
In Ohio, the State Auditor’s office issued a recent press release outlining the “Top Five” convictions for government fraud of 2025.
The former executive director of the Eastern Ohio Housing Development Corp., was sentenced to 4 years and 11 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $2.36 million, after being convicted of felony counts of aggravated theft, tampering with records and forgery.
A former Violet Township firefighter in Fairfield County, was sentenced to 21 months in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $232,000 after he was convicted on felony counts of aggravated theft and tampering with records.
A former fiscal officer for Vienna Township in Trumbull County, was sentenced to eight years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of more than $132,000 after she was convicted on 10 total felony counts, including theft in office, telecommunications fraud and tampering with records. The theft was discovered when the township found itself unable to pay its bills and learned it had in the bank about $1 million less than they thought. (One township trustee, who sat by and was unaware of the dire situation the township was in, asked the judge to sentence the woman to the maximum penalty. How big of him.)
A former utility clerk for the Village of Byesville, was sentenced to six months in jail and ordered to pay restitution totaling more than $127,000 after she was convicted in Guernsey County on felony counts of theft in office and tampering with records.
A former executive director of the Clermont Metropolitan Housing Authority, was sentenced to four years in prison and ordered to pay nearly $87,000 in restitution after he was convicted on a felony count of federal program theft.
The auditors would have you believe they are catching most of the fraud — don’t fall for it.
Wherever you are, it’s highly likely that stories just like these show up in the media somewhat frequently. We can go to sleep at night confident that somewhere, someone is stealing our tax dollars.
It’s a sobering truth that our government organizations lack sufficient checks and balances to keep this from happening. Embezzlement happens in private businesses, too, but most have sufficient accounting controls that make it very difficult to get away with thievery.
Our government is spending more money that it can keep track of, and the thieves are the ones that realize that fact.
The Hogwash Report has often advocated that every government desk should be audited routinely. Sure, that would be costly. But saving TRILLIONS of dollars in theft of government our money would be worth it.
She’s Arrived…
Look who is giving the Democrats’ response to President Trump’s State of the Union Address — Virginia’s newly installed Governor, Abigail Spanberger. Who better to solidify the Democrats protection of illegal immigrants? One of her first acts as governor was to rescind a previous executive order that directed state law enforcement to assist ICE. She is Virginia’s first white woman governor, and one of her first-day executive orders was premised upon a steadfast commitment to foster a culture of inclusion, diversity, and mutual respect for all Virginians.
The Hogwash Report wonders why the Democrats go to such lengths to offer a long-winded response to Trump’s long-winded SOTU.
Why not just let Nancy Pelosi take 30 seconds to rip a hard copy of Trump’s speech to shreds — it worked great last time.
Will the Democrats stand in support of the Trump initiatives that are favored by 80% of the electorate? Don’t bet on it.
Just Saying…
There is so much good stuff on Substack and nobody can read all of it, so from time to time The Hogwash Report will share some snippets of what we consider “good stuff.”
Substacker Justin Deschamps posted this, if you missed it: “In NYC you need an ID and your social security card to become an emergency snow shoveler… But you don’t need any of that to vote because that’s racist. You cannot make this up…”
Substacker, newspaper columnist, entertainer and the most interesting guy in Alabama (THR just made that up) Sean Deitrich wrote, “It’s hard to find silence anymore. … Every 11 seconds, somewhere in America, someone uses a leaf blower.”
From Elsewhere:
Here is some good stuff from our favorite Sen. John Kennedy, R-Louisiana:
Re: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, presidential candidate.
She is “kind of like Vice President Kamala Harris, but with more bartending experience.”
She is “the reason there are directions on a shampoo bottle.”
Thanks for reading. Your comments would be appreciated and would also add a lot to this post.
Or you could buy me a cup of coffee here for just $5. It would extend to three my record number of consecutive posts that resulted in a cup of coffee. I’m overwhelmed!
Great article, Charles. Now for my $00.02. Politicians, and unfortunately quite a few government officials, wouldn't know honesty if it handcuffed them. They see a system that, ridiculously, doesn't monitor itself, and, to paraphrase scripture, a little voice in their ear says "do you really think He'll kill you if you eat that pomegranate?" Their answer to themselves is a resounding no, and they pocket the cash. Government's full of them, and government service is probably just as corrupt.
Thank-you so much. "We can go to sleep at night confident that somewhere, someone is stealing our tax dollars" Great read, God Bless.