While researching and writing book two of a historical novel series (book one – Lady of the Street: Beginnings), set in late 19th and early 20th century New York, I discovered an uncanny parallel of time and corruption being confronted. It is astonishing to witness the similarities between a recent third Senate hearing on fraud and foreign influence in state and federal programs and the battles fought 150 years ago against Tammany Hall and its allies.
Tammany Hall tightened its grip on immigrant communities by trading jobs and protection for votes while siphoning millions from local, state, and federal assistance programs meant to help the very people it claimed to serve. It turned the desperate need of immigrants flooding Ellis Island and hidden in New York’s tenements into political currency and public funds into private profit.
The Senate’s third hearing a few days ago felt like a mirror held up to the past, as if the shadows of Tammany Hall rose again to warn us that corruption always returns when a nation refuses to confront it together. Those similar tiers of corruption existed back then and are echoing once again!
As Seamus Bruner, Associate Director of Research at the Government Accountability Institute (GAI), stated at the hearing: “The nonprofit systems operating around these benefit programs do not exist in isolation. They are part of a broader ecosystem that links migration, government benefits, political mobilization, and when challenged, organized disruption.”
Haywood Talcove (Chief Executive Officer, LexisNexis Special Services Inc.) reported, “Programs that operate on the honor system invite exploitation by transnational criminal groups. They rely on complex international funding structures to hide the true funding source and maintain operational control. When enforcement actions, fraud investigations, or policy changes threaten this system, whether through ICE operations, benefit eligibility scrutiny, or election integrity measures, those networks activate a third component, what we call riot, Inc. At this stage, organized disruption, intimidation, and civil unrest are deployed strategically to raise the political cost of enforcement and to deter accountability…These actors are sophisticated, they are dangerous, and they operate in all 50 states. They weaponize our compassion against programs we consider too vital to question. They know officials will hesitate to scrutinize aid meant for people in desperate need.” Talcove also cautioned at the hearing, “The thing that people don’t understand is that most of these beneficiaries, Senator, they’re not real. They’re fake. There’s someone’s stolen identity that is getting used in all 50 states.”
The massive immigration and corruption that took place during the 19th and early 20th centuries exemplified what this hearing reported. The entrenched corrupt systems then and now run through our cities, states, nation, and the globe. Bruner stated they “…function as a form of patronage, creating dependency among migrant populations and anchoring them to nonprofit intermediaries that manage information, access, and ongoing engagement. That dependency is the leverage. Conditions we’ve clearly seen in Minnesota.” That leverage enables billions and trillions of state and federal dollars to be siphoned off and not tracked.
History has echoed in our generation! Bruner continued. “It keeps populations embedded within an organizational ecosystem operating in environments of weak oversight and limited enforcement conditions.” Talcove added, “They take advantage of antiquated government systems and processes. They go into programs that they know elected and appointed officials won’t touch and they can steal at scale.”
We all recognize our nation was born of immigrants from all over the world. We welcome them to apply and understand the complexity and years required of becoming an American citizen. Becoming a U.S. citizen happens through a process called naturalization, and it follows a clear sequence of steps. The core pathway is consistent across sources, including USCIS and USA.gov, which outline a 10‑step process. The English and Civics tests are even difficult for our own citizens. For many of us we would probably have to repeat the tests over and over! For those committed to the process, I applaud you all!
As for our current political and economic dilemmas, dig deeper and you will find which political party seemed to be most entrenched in the corrupt systems back then and now. History is calling us again to learn the lessons of our past or repeat it all over again. Yet, as Senator Kim hopes, can this be the time to finally do something about it? Will we stand together before fraud and corruption write history’s ending for us?
Witness the hearing firsthand to grasp the extent of the fraud and the solutions proposed. Will we have the same courage to pursue them as those 150 years ago and win the battle for our nation today?
Source: Senate hearing examining fraud and foreign influence in state and federal programs, February 11, 2026
Chairman Hawley Exposes Fraud in State and Federal Programs and Dark Money Funding Web
***
Image Citations:
Underhill, Irving, -1960, photographer. Tammany Hall & 14th St. West. New York, ca. 1914. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/90713159/.
Bain News Service, Publisher. Ellis Island. [No Date Recorded on Caption Card] Photograph] https://www.loc.gov/item/2014719586/, https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/pnp/ggbain/50400/50437v.jpg.
Leave a Reply