
Robert Faturechi
I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at ProPublica.
Have a Tip for a Story?
Contact me, by email or securely on Signal, with tips about the federal government and Trump’s businesses.
What I Cover
Currently I am reporting on President Donald Trump’s business interests, including Trump Media. I’m also examining the Trump administration’s trade policies.
My Background
My reporting has resulted in widespread reforms, criminal convictions, congressional hearings and new legislation.
In the past, I have written about how the rich avoid taxes, questionable stock trades by top executives, lobbying campaigns to block safety standards, conflicts of interest within government and self-dealing by political consultants. I broke stories on Sen. Richard Burr selling stock before the coronavirus market crash, helping lead to a wave of scrutiny of congressional stock trading.
In 2020, along with two colleagues, I won the Pulitzer Prize for national reporting for a series about avoidable deaths in the Navy and Marine Corps, and the failure of top commanders to heed warnings that could have saved lives.
Before joining ProPublica, I was at the Los Angeles Times, where my work exposed inmate abuse, cronyism, secret cop cliques and wrongful jailings at the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. I obtained a cache of confidential personnel records that showed the agency knowingly hired dozens of cops with histories of serious misconduct. The stories helped lead to sweeping reforms at the nation’s largest jail system, criminal convictions of sheriff’s deputies and the resignation of the sheriff.
Commitment to Sources
I know how to navigate delicate stories that require sources to take extraordinary risks. I have a track record of earning the trust of people who are generally distrustful of the media. Keeping my word and protecting those sources is one of my bedrock principles.
The Biotech Edge: How Executives and Well-Connected Investors Make Exquisitely Timed Trades in Health Care Stocks
Secret IRS records reveal dozens of highly fortuitous biotech and health care trades.
by Ellis Simani and Robert Faturechi,
Photos of Nude Children in Billionaire’s Email Prompted Investigation
Investigators cited the photos in order to begin the investigation into T. Denny Sanford, a South Dakota businessman. ProPublica fought for three years to get the records unsealed.
by Robert Faturechi,
Sen. Burr Cited COVID When He Dumped Shares Ahead of Stock Market Crash, According to FBI Records
New details have emerged about the now-closed investigation, including repeated calls to his brother-in-law, who also dumped stock.
by Robert Faturechi,
Child Porn Possession Investigation Into South Dakota Billionaire Closed With No Charges
Search warrants were obtained in the investigation into T. Denny Sanford in 2019 and 2020. ProPublica won a legal fight to access the records.
by Robert Faturechi,
Child Porn Probe of Billionaire Businessman Denny Sanford Continues at State and Federal Level, Court Records Show
Authorities said the investigation of South Dakota’s richest man, first revealed by ProPublica, is still active and began with a tip from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children.
by Isaac Arnsdorf and Robert Faturechi,
Court Records Show That Emails and Phone Data Were Searched in Child Porn Probe of Billionaire Denny Sanford
ProPublica won access to search warrants showing a child pornography investigation of South Dakota’s richest man, confirming our reporting from last year.
by Robert Faturechi and Isaac Arnsdorf,
How These Ultrawealthy Politicians Avoided Paying Taxes
IRS records reveal how Gov. Jim Justice, Gov. Jared Polis, former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and other wealthy political figures slashed their taxes using strategies unavailable to most of their constituents.
by Ellis Simani, Robert Faturechi and Ken Ward Jr.,
Burr’s Brother-in-Law Called His Broker to Start Dumping Stock One Minute After a Call With the Senator
According to the SEC, Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina, then chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, had material nonpublic information about coronavirus impact. He and his brother-in-law dumped stock before the market dropped in March 2020.
by Robert Faturechi,
How the Trump Tax Law Created a Loophole That Lets Top Executives Net Millions by Slashing Their Own Salaries
The 2017 tax cuts made it more attractive for certain company owners to be paid in profits instead of wages. Some cut their own wages, expanding a loophole that was already costing the U.S. billions.
by Robert Faturechi and Justin Elliott,
Secret IRS Files Reveal How Much Ultrawealthy Gained by Shaping Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Tax Cut”
Billionaire business owners deployed lobbyists to make sure Trump’s 2017 tax bill was tailored to their benefit. Confidential IRS records show the windfall that followed.
by Justin Elliott and Robert Faturechi,