Heather Vogell

Reporter

Photo of Heather Vogell

Heather Vogell is a reporter at ProPublica. She is currently investigating the rental housing market.

Previously, she wrote about President Donald Trump’s business entanglements and collaborated with reporters at WNYC on the podcast “Trump, Inc.” Her 2019 stories on discrepancies between what the Trump Organization told New York City property tax officials and what it reported on loan documents won an award from the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.

She has also exposed abuse at group homes for the developmentally disabled and high schools that push out low-achievers to goose their graduation rates.

Previously, she was a reporter at The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, where her work on test cheating in the public school system resulted in the indictments of the superintendent and 34 others.

A series she co-authored, “Cheating Our Children,” examining suspicious test scores in public schools across the nation, was a 2013 finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting. She has also received a Sigma Delta Chi Award for non-deadline reporting, the Hillman Prize and multiple Education Writers Association awards for her investigative work.

Before the Journal-Constitution, she worked at The Charlotte Observer, Chicago Tribune and The Day, in New London, Connecticut.

Never-Before-Seen Trump Tax Documents Show Major Inconsistencies

The president’s businesses made themselves appear more profitable to lenders and less profitable to tax officials. One expert calls the differing numbers “versions of fraud.”

Maryland Sues Notorious For-Profit Group Homes. The Company Was the Subject of ProPublica Investigation.

Maryland’s suit alleges that the company, which changed its name from AdvoServ to Bellwether, has allowed “Dickensian” conditions.

Trump Companies Accused of Tax Evasion in Panama

In the latest chapter in ongoing litigation, the private equity fund that bought what used to be called the Trump Ocean Club claims the Trump entities pocketed money that should have gone to the Panamanian government.

“Trump, Inc.” and Former FBI Deputy Chief Andrew McCabe Compare Notes

McCabe talks about going after Russian organized crime in Brighton Beach as a young agent — and how some of those characters showed up in the Mueller report.

Why Did Deutsche Bank Keep Lending to Donald Trump? — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

The bank kept writing checks even after Trump defaulted on loans worth hundreds of millions and sued it. Now Congressional investigators are going to court to uncover the financial records behind their relationship.

Mueller Went Looking for a Conspiracy, What He Found Was Conflict and a Cover-Up — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

Trump’s business deal was bigger, lasted longer and fueled more secrecy than we knew before.

Meet Trump’s Other Partners on His Attempted Moscow Tower — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

In this week’s episode, we explore some of Donald Trump’s partners — including a developer with no site and no funding — and find one reason Trump might’ve needed to enlist help from the very top of Russia’s government.

Why Aren’t Hedge Funds Required to Fight Money Laundering?

A long-standing effort to make big investment funds abide by the same rules that banks and brokerages follow has bogged down. The fund industry says it supports the rules — it just has a few quibbles.

Here Are the Trump Projects Where Ivanka and Her Dad Misled Buyers

Read the Trumps’ false statements — and what the actual facts were.

Pump and Trump

Donald Trump claims he only licensed his name for real estate projects developed by others. But an investigation of a dozen Trump deals shows deep family involvement in projects that often involved deceptive practices.

Florida Moves to Shut Down For-Profit Residence After Finding Horrific Abuse and Neglect

ProPublica detailed a long pattern of mistreatment at Carlton Palms.

‘Trump, Inc.’ Podcast: Money Laundering and the Trump Taj Mahal

The casino’s money laundering controls were so lacking, regulators found, it amounted to “willful” violations of the law.

Arkansas Spurns Warehousing of Floundering Students

In much of the country, alternative schools are neglected, underfunded and stigmatized. But one of the poorest states is spending big on them.

How Students Get Banished to Alternative Schools

In this era of so-called “school choice,” a pattern has emerged: Students don’t choose their alternative schools. They’re sentenced to them.

For-Profit Schools Reward Students for Referrals and Facebook Endorsements

Schools for potential dropouts market aggressively to boost enrollment — especially during weeks when heads are counted to determine funding. Some of their tactics may violate federal consumer protections.

For-Profit Schools Get State Dollars For Dropouts Who Rarely Drop In

Schools touted by Betsy DeVos aggressively recruit at-risk students, offer barebones courses, and boost revenue by inflating enrollment.

Bellwether Behavioral Health Is Controversial Group Home Operator AdvoServ — With a New Name

After two deaths of teenage residents in less than four years, AdvoServ has quietly taken a new name that makes it harder to follow the trail of media coverage, including ours.

Florida to Examine Whether Alternative Charter Schools Underreport Dropouts

State officials are following up on a ProPublica report last month that Orlando uses alternative charter schools to boost ratings and hide dropouts.

Help ProPublica and USA Today Investigate Alternative Schools

If you are familiar with alternative schools for students with academic or behavioral issues, we need your help.

‘Alternative’ Education: Using Charter Schools to Hide Dropouts and Game the System

School officials nationwide dodge accountability ratings by steering low achievers to alternative programs.

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