Robert Faturechi
I am a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter at ProPublica.
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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 Navy Installed Touch-Screen Steering Systems to Save Money. 10 Sailors Paid With Their Lives.
When the USS John S. McCain crashed in the Pacific, the Navy blamed the destroyer’s crew for the loss of 10 sailors. The truth is the Navy’s flawed technology set the McCain up for disaster.
Iran Has Hundreds of Naval Mines. U.S. Navy Minesweepers Find Old Dishwashers and Car Parts.
As tensions heat up in the Persian Gulf, the Navy’s minesweeping fleet may once again be called into action, but its sailors say the ships are too old and broken to do the job. “We are essentially the ships that the Navy forgot.”
Trump Keeps Talking About the Last Military Standoff With Iran — Here’s What Really Happened
In 2016, 10 sailors were captured by Iran. Trump is making it a political issue. Our investigation shows that it was a Navy failure, and the problems run deep.
How the Navy’s Top Commander Botched the Highest-Profile Investigation in Years
On Wednesday, the Navy said it was abandoning all remaining criminal charges against sailors involved in fatal accidents in the Pacific. Here’s how the actions of the chief of naval operations helped doom the cases.
Federal Authorities Raided Trump Fundraiser’s Office in Money Laundering Probe
A sealed search warrant obtained by ProPublica shows federal agents scoured Elliott Broidy’s office for documents related to China, Saudi Arabia and a Miami Beach club promoter.
An Admiral Told a Senator Most Navy Reforms Were “Complete.” Navy’s No. 2 Says Otherwise.
Adm. Bill Moran told ProPublica this week that none of the promised reforms had been completed, but that work had started on the pledges.
Navy Leaders Taken to Task by Lawmakers, Including One Who Was Grilling a Former Boss
Rep. Elaine Luria, an ex-Navy commander, showed her insider knowledge of naval operations in questions to the admirals appearing before a House Armed Services Committee panel.
Help Us Find Out Whether Navy Reforms Are Actually Making a Difference
The Navy promised to implement reforms in the wake of two deadly 2017 crashes. We’re trying to find out how it’s doing — and we need to hear from sailors in all six of the numbered fleets that patrol the world’s oceans.
Navy Promised Changes After Deadly Accidents, but Many Within Doubt It’s Delivering on Them
Interviews and an examination of the Navy’s publicly announced reforms raise uncertainty over whether senior leaders have fully followed through on them after the 7th Fleet disasters in 2017.
Investigation of Disasters Sparks Debate Over Navy’s Readiness and Responsibilities
ProPublica’s examination of the causes behind two fatal collisions in the Pacific has set off an intense conversation among current and former Navy sailors and commanders as well as everyday citizens about the state of the U.S. Navy.