Jake Pearson
I’m an investigative reporter covering the intersection of business and government.
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What I Cover
I cover the intersection of business and government.
My Background
I’ve conducted metro, campaign finance and national political investigations for ProPublica since 2018. Last year, I investigated New York’s troubled guardianship system and found that it was failing thousands of elderly and infirm people who could not care for themselves. My stories prompted the state attorney general to launch an investigation and the courts to appoint a special counsel to oversee changes. Other work has spurred criminal prosecutions and oversight hearings and has been recognized with various journalism awards.
Previously, I worked for The Associated Press, NBC News and the New York Daily News.
New York Trusted This Company to Care for the Sick and Elderly. Instead, It Left People Confused and Alone.
Unchanged diapers. Fees collected for care never given. New York Guardianship Services is often tasked with caring for the "unbefriended," but records show more than a dozen cases where it failed to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.
He Defended the NYPD in Court. Then They Arrested Him.
For 11 years, Karl Ashanti represented New York City cops in civil-rights cases. Then he was charged with a crime he didn’t commit.
Top FEC Official’s Undisclosed Ties to Trump Raise Concerns Over Agency Neutrality
A top Federal Election Commission official, whose division regulates campaign cash, has shown support for President Trump and has close ties to his 2016 campaign attorney, Don McGahn. Experts said the actions raise questions about impartiality.
The Courts Blocked Trump’s Federal Funding Freeze. Agencies Are Withholding Money Anyway.
Agencies continue to suspend funding, despite multiple court orders blocking the federal freeze. Experts say the Trump administration’s actions set the stage for challenges to Congress’ authority — and the limits of the presidency.
New York Attorney General Launches Investigation of Guardianship Providers
Investigators for the state’s top law enforcement official have begun probing the practices of several organizations that serve as guardians to hundreds of New York’s most vulnerable residents. The inquiry follows a ProPublica investigation.
Courts Appoint Special Counsel to Oversee Reform of New York’s Troubled Guardianship System
Judicial leaders in New York created two new oversight positions as they work to reform the state’s guardianship system. The personnel additions follow a ProPublica investigation that spotlighted lax monitoring of court-appointed guardians.
“A Real Overhaul Is Long Overdue”: Lawmaker Calls On State Leaders to Reform New York’s Beleaguered Guardianship System
A new bill asks Gov. Kathy Hochul and state legislators to overhaul New York’s broken guardianship system. It cites a ProPublica investigation that found the elderly and infirm living in dire conditions while under court-mandated oversight.
Judge Orders Guardianship Firm to Return Thousands It Took From an Elderly Woman for Services It Never Provided
New York Guardianship Services had billed Judith Zbiegniewicz $450 a month for court-ordered care, but a judge found the company provided “minimal services, if any” for years, including at the height of the coronavirus pandemic.
This Guardian Enriched Herself Using the Finances of Vulnerable People In Her Care. Judges Let It Happen.
Judges allowed one of New York’s most prolific guardians to engage in apparent self-dealing as she transferred $1.5 million of her wards’ money to her own company.
States Across the Country Are Reforming Guardianship. New York Is Not One of Them.
New York’s system for caring for the sick and elderly is in shambles, experts say. But while lawmakers in other states are overhauling their approaches to guardianship, New York only budgeted $1 million to address its deep-seated problems.
New York’s Guardianship System Is Broken. Will Lawmakers Pay for a Modest Fix?
As legislators negotiate a budget worth hundreds of billions of dollars, advocates wonder whether Albany will approve $5 million for reforms to the state’s troubled guardianship system.
Lawmakers Ignored Warnings About New York’s Broken Guardianship System for Decades. Here’s How They Can Fix It.
From public funding for guardians to more scrutiny of nonprofit providers, experts say policymakers could take several actions to bolster the state’s foundering system for caring for its most vulnerable.
How One Woman Endured a Decade of Neglect in New York’s Guardianship System
Judith Zbiegniewicz lived in squalor, yet every month, her legally appointed guardian was paid $450 from her bank account. She is one of the thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers left stranded by a system meant to protect them.