This Week's Ops Drop: Fraud, Fraud Everywhere

And not just in Minnesota

Paul Mauro, Chris Flanagan, True Crime Girl, and Legal Editor

Aug 04, 2026

Friends, we had our usual Monday morning Ops Drop ready to go this week — but we bumped it back a day in lieu of publishing an article yesterday from our Legal Editor titled, “Ignore Fauci’s Pardon.” We felt it deserved a standalone hearing.

We have yet to see anyone parse the various currents blowing through the Fauci affair, and actually expose it’s true origin story. The implications for the nation are enormous. In the final analysis, we were lied to, and we continue to be lied to — by the left and their fellow travelers in a complicit media.

And the results were incalculable, in both human and economic cost.

You won’t see this reporting anywhere else: a genuine attempt to reconstruct what happened, who the players were, and what we can — and should — do now.

See HERE for the full piece.

Now below — this week’s Ops Drop newsletter.

Fraud? It’s Driving Next To You — And That Could Be Fatal

The growing number of commercial truck crashes involving drivers who cannot speak or read the English language looks less like a coincidence and more like a massive — and un-investigated — fraud.

Take Bekhzod Asrarov, the holder of a Commercial Driver’s License from Ohio. Asrarov was charged in the fatal Ohio crash that killed UMass Lowell soccer player Tobias Forsythe. According to public reporting, Asrarov was unable to even communicate with responding officers in English and had to rely on a translation app. His case has become only the latest flashpoint in a controversy that has produced a growing number of similar reports around the country.

The real question now should be: How on earth did these people get a CDL to begin with? Because a person cannot legally obtain a Commercial Driver’s License without first qualifying for a regular driver’s license. And both require written examinations. In English.

The CDL exam is substantially more demanding than the regular exam, testing knowledge of safety regulations, vehicle inspections, braking systems, hazardous conditions, and even federal transportation rules. We’re to believe that a native Uzbek who had to use a translation app to talk to the cops passed both the regular test and then the CDL test?

Federal regulations also require commercial drivers to possess sufficient English proficiency to read highway signs, respond to police officers, converse with the public, and complete reports.

How are all these drivers getting these licenses?

There may be innocent explanations in some individual cases, but there are major questions here. At this point, investigators have to ask whether there is something larger at work.

Were written examinations improperly administered? Were applicants permitted to circumvent the testing requirements? Were imposters taking exams for applicants? Did third-party testing centers or public employees knowingly facilitate licenses that should never have been issued?

Personally, I’d be looking hard at the DMV offices involved.

These are not political questions. They are criminal investigative questions. In cases that have already proven fatal.

And recall: we only know about the bogus license holders who have already killed people. God knows how many others are out there on the road right now.

And if investigators DO discover a scheme—whether it involves bribery, document fraud, identity fraud, official misconduct, or conspiracy—everyone involved should be heavily prosecuted. Due to the interstate nature of a CDL, federal charges could also hold.

If it’s there — and it sure feels like some version of it must be — roll up the whole thing: applicants, corrupt intermediaries, dishonest testing personnel, public employees, and employers who knowingly placed unqualified drivers behind the wheel. Hammer them. They’re complicit in schemes that have led to the death of innocents, for who knows what miniscule chunk of chump change.

America entrusts CDL holders with vehicles weighing up to 80,000 pounds. The American public deserves confidence that every one of those drivers earned that privilege honestly.

If they didn’t, the problem isn’t just the driver. It’s the system that put the license in his pocket and unleashed him onto America’s roads.

Kamala Goes Kommie

Kamala Harris is prepping for another run for President. You can tell because the stupidity has already started. The vapid and vacuous former Vice President, who doesn’t seem to have any ideas of her own, has already adopted some of the worst positions of the Democratic Socialists infiltrating her party.

Harris, before the campaign has even gotten underway, has announced her support for changing the U.S. Constitution. Not necessarily through an amendment, as required by that august document, but more like through a wish—like before you blow out the candles on your birthday or toss a penny into a fountain.

Her wishful prescription for the new government is a Constitution without the Electoral College, as delineated in Article II, Section 1.

She also wants to pack the Supreme Court with more justices. This is not a violation of the Constitution, as it specifies no fixed number. However, the Court has consistently had nine Justices since 1869. Franklin Roosevelt’s attempt to pack the Court was stymied by Congress and Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes. Democrats have threatened to break this precedent for years to gain more power.

Her other dream, left over from the 2024 campaign, is to make the District of Columbia a state. If the District were somehow granted statehood, it would mean two more senators and a congressman for the Democrat/Social Democrat Party, as D.C. is one of the single bluest areas in the nation. However, the Constitution is clear in establishing a federal capital district. The Enclave Clause delineates the district and places it under the control of Congress. It cannot become a state without a constitutional amendment.

Harris’s Social Democrat-inspired platform falls short of abolishing the Senate — the DSA’s other big wish — but she is too closely aligned with that crowd for our liking.

Besides embracing several Democratic Socialist positions, Kamala has also formed alliances with them. She has reached out to the communist mayor of New York City in an attempt to win over the radical wing of her party. She has also maintained close ties with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders to garner their support.

This is a dangerous move by someone who may become President of the United States. The Democrats should have kicked these radical socialists to the curb years ago. Instead, they have become a necessary pillar to winning the Democrat nomination. That is like inviting the fox into the henhouse.

The Democrats had four years of an easily controlled dotard in Joe Biden—four years of an administration where we had no idea who was really in charge. That situation was unacceptable, and likely illegal.

If Kamala Harris were ever able to stumble her way into 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, it would be a mirror of the Biden presidency. We would have a manipulable nitwit ostensibly in charge, with no plan, purpose, or philosophy. And she would owe her job to these socialist radicals. They will no doubt be whispering Marxist sweet nothings in her ear and leading her by the nose throughout her term as Commander in Chief. I can’t think of anything more dangerous.

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Once a Scammer, Always a Scammer

Former Congressman George Santos is in the news again. This time he was fined for committing a commodities futures fraud by betting on the Kalshi market that he would not show up at the State of the Union in February 2026. Santos, as one could predict from his bet, was indisposed on the night of the speech. The guy just doesn’t seem to learn.

The scam reminded me of a case one of my detectives worked.

When I was assigned to the NYPD’s Special Frauds Squad, we encountered all sorts of new and unusual scams, and arrested fraudsters of every ilk. It was what kept the job interesting; there was always a new angle and a new crime to solve.

Often we would see perps we had already arrested move into completely different areas of financial fraud. Most of these fraudsters were simply incorrigible, looking for more money despite the fact that they didn’t even need it. For some it was the thrill. They loved to con people, figuring out new ways to separate institutions and individuals from their money. They were like adrenaline junkies, using crime to get their fix. They were almost hard-wired to commit fraud.

One of our more memorable cases involved a perp we called the “Catch Me If You Can guy,” after the famous Frank Abagnale. Abagnale, if you recall, was the subject of the movie starring Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio. He lived his life in the fraud world, almost losing himself in the different roles he played to run his cons. After being arrested, Abagnale reformed himself and made a pretty good living helping law enforcement, assisting the FBI with cases, writing books, speaking publicly, and consulting.

Our perp, whom we’ll call John, was cut from the same cloth. He picked up multiple identities and ran several complex fraud schemes simultaneously. He was good, but not that good. He was eventually collared, sent to prison, and later released.

Seeing the success Abagnale found, John thought he could make good money taking a similar path. He appeared to reform, speaking publicly and consulting for law enforcement groups. But he was a dyed-in-the-wool scammer who couldn’t quite give up the game.

While growing his new business, airlines began collecting data on a pattern of fraudulently purchased tickets. While 9/11 was still fresh in everyone’s mind, the airleines were paying close attention to fake tickets and people flying under false identities. Several carriers came to us with reports of the same man, often in different disguises, flying under numerous names with tickets purchased on fraudulently obtained credit cards.

Eventually we identified John and arrested him as he returned from a consulting job in Canada. He had used more than a dozen identities and racked up tens of thousands of dollars in stolen airline tickets. Not a huge haul, but because of the airline angle, the case was important.

What he was doing gave us a look into the mind of a scammer. Sometimes he stole tickets to travel to jobs, but often he would simply take a trip and come right back without even leaving the airport. He just loved getting over. He loved the thrill of sitting in that seat, knowing he had pulled off another fraud. He wasn’t even making money; he was feeding the adrenaline rush.

I see the same personality defect in former Congressman George Santos, a.k.a. Anthony Devolder, a.k.a. Anthony Zabrovsky, a.k.a. Kitara Ravache (truth is, no one is sure what his name really is).

He defrauded his way into the NY-3 congressional race, winning himself a seat in Congress. He misrepresented himself during that election—not ordinary politician exaggeration or lies. Santos fabricated his entire résumé and background. He misused campaign funds, falsified financial disclosures, and stole credit cards from donors. He was a fraudster running a fraud on a national stage. It was a bridge too far.

When Congress voted to expel him, some argued that because he had been elected, he should remain. He claimed to be a Trump loyalist, and for some that was enough. Ridiculous. As Congress debated his ouster, I wrote that he would be back in the news for more frauds. And here he is.

In this latest scam, Santos used social media to promote his appearance at the State of the Union, asking followers what he should wear and seemingly planning the trip. He then bet a few thousand dollars against his own appearance. He made a little more than ten grand—small potatoes—but other people lost money on his scam.

This is on top of the many other scams he has been accused of throughout his life: the alleged check fraud scheme in Brazil, the fake animal rescue fundraiser, the GoFundMe scam, reports of credit card skimming, unemployment fraud that he admitted to, and the campaign finance fraud to which he eventually pleaded guilty.

Santos is an incorrigible fraudster like our perp, John. He is incapable of living on the straight and narrow. He’ll be pulling scams from the nursing home when he reaches that age.

This guy should come with a warning label. He should be shunned from polite society. No one should believe a word he says.

Despite this latest scam, it won’t be the last we hear from George Santos. He’ll be back—with a new and improved fraud scheme. You can bet on it. We suspect he will.

This Week’s NIGHTWATCH: A Conversation With Alan Dershowitz

Friends, join us on this week’s Nightwatch for a wide-ranging conversation with Alan Dershowitz — a man who at this point needs no introduction.

Dersh brings us up to date on:

Why the Jewish vote trends liberal — and whether that will continue…
The fact that he’s switched to being a Republican…
Why Mamdani and the DSA won’t — can’t — get what they really want…
Why Fauci COULD take the Fifth in Congress — but still has problems…

… and much more.

He’s got a new book out, too, based on the founding documents of two nations (documents he’s collected)… and about which he provides some truly inside “baseball.” (ouch — bad pun. You’ll see why).

You’re rarely see him so unguarded.

So join us — on this week’s Nightwatch.

(And check out Alan on substack here: https://substack.com/@dersh and his new book HERE on Amazon).

TRUE CRIME GIRL: Update On The Lindsay Clancy Trial

If there was any doubt about what this trial would be about, the first week erased it.

Clearly, the Commonwealth isn’t trying to prove Lindsay Clancy killed her three children. Everyone agrees she did. The defense isn’t trying to convince the jury otherwise. This case will rise or fall on one question: Was Clancy legally insane when she strangled five-year-old Cora, three-year-old Dawson, and eight-month-old Callan on January 24, 2023?

From a law enforcement perspective, the prosecution spent the week doing what good prosecutors do: building a timeline. They walked jurors methodically through the final hours before the murders, showing that Clancy appeared organized, interacted normally with multiple people, and allegedly created the opportunity by sending her husband, Patrick, out to pick up takeout.

Patrick Clancy’s testimony was, understandably, the emotional centerpiece of the week. Jurors heard his frantic, 7-minute 911 call after he returned home to find the unimaginable. It was devastating evidence, not because it established who committed the crime—that has never been disputed—but because it underscored the calculated sequence of events that preceded it.

Yet Patrick also became one of the defense’s most compelling witnesses.

He described a wife who had become almost unrecognizable in the months after giving birth. He spoke of frightening intrusive thoughts, repeated psychiatric treatment, and an exhausting search for answers as her mental condition deteriorated. The defense wants jurors to conclude that postpartum psychosis, compounded by a complicated regimen of psychiatric medications, left Clancy incapable of understanding the wrongfulness of her actions. In short: she was trying to get help — but did the medical system fail her? His testimony led at least one juror to tears and heavily impacted the rest of the courtroom.

The prosecution immediately pushed back.

Jurors heard from witnesses at a restaurant and a CVS who interacted with Clancy shortly before the killings. Their descriptions were remarkably consistent: calm, polite, composed, and exhibiting nothing that suggested someone detached from reality. That’s important because insanity defenses rarely turn on diagnosis alone. They often turn on observed behavior at the time of the crime.

Medical testimony added another layer, with emergency room physicians recounting their desperate attempts to save the children and describing Clancy’s own injuries from what prosecutors and the defense agree was an apparent suicide attempt.

A suicide attempt, recall, that could be construed as evidence of feelings of guilt — which a person who could not tell right from wrong would likely would not experience.

So after one week, the prosecution has presented a compelling chronology. The defense has presented a chilling portrait of mental illness.

Now comes the part juries often struggle with most—not deciding what happened—but deciding what was happening inside Lindsay Clancy’s mind at that time.

Will their sympathies lie with her or the three lives she took?