Chris Bragg

How Disputed Math Allegedly Helped a Bank Win a Brooklyn Home for $100 New York Focus identified more than a thousand cases where the use of a controversial interest formula increased a house’s bidding price at auction.

Lenders' allegedly illegal math in New York foreclosure cases has had another consequence: Raising the bidding price at auctions, where in more than 1,250 instances, lenders walked away with homes for almost nothing nysfocus.com/2026/02/05/f...

Broadway Donated Heavily to Hochul Before Proposed Tax Credit Boost The governor’s campaign got an influx of donations from theater producers as its trade group lobbied her office to “enhance” the credit.

NEW: Hochul proposed adding $150 million to the New York City Musical and Theatrical Production Tax Credit.

That’s despite complaints from watchdogs that the program often funds big shows like “The Lion King,” and “Wicked” that they say do not need taxpayer money to survive.

Big Banks Accused of ‘Systematic Fraud’ in New York Foreclosure… An investigation by New York Focus and Gothamist found lenders are using a disputed method of calculating debts in thousands of foreclosures and taking…

An investigation by @nysfocus.bsky.social & @gothamist.com found a widespread irregularity in NY’s court system — one costing homeowners facing foreclosure millions.
All under the noses of judges, court referees & regulators nysfocus.com/2025/12/03/n... w/
@davidfbrand.bsky.social

She Says Her Lawyer Stole Her Money. She Can’t Get the DA to Return… Despite mounting evidence that a disbarred attorney stole client funds, Manhattan prosecutors have taken no action.

Alleged victims of a disgraced lawyer were ignored by the Manhattan DA -- then rejected by a Fund meant to compensate victims of lawyer theft nysfocus.com/2025/10/10/l...

Have You Been Sued for Credit Card Debt? Your Fake Relative Might… Collectors claim they serve people who don't exist, yet regulators rarely bar repeat offenders from the industry.

NEW: Have you been sued for credit card debt?

In NYC, tens of thousands of people are sued for debt every year. But many never learn about the lawsuits, because process servers don’t deliver the court papers.

A Powerful Bronx Politician Dines on Developers’ Double Donations An expert calls the six-figure haul “extraordinary” for an unpaid party seat whose powers are picking judges, poll workers, and party officers.

New: A powerful Bronx politician dines on developers' double donations nysfocus.com/2025/06/05/r...

Harrison Mayor Helped Rezone His Own Land — Then Sold It for $2.9… Richard Dionisio participated in multiple votes related to a controversial rezoning effort without publicly disclosing his financial interest.

A Westchester County mayor helped rezone land he owned — dramatically increasing the value — then sold it to a housing developer for $2.9M nysfocus.com/2025/05/21/m...

For a Yonkers Political Dynasty, a Succession of Blurred Lines Mayor Mike Spano has stated his administration has not been lobbied by his powerful brother’s firm. Emails indicate otherwise.

New: In Yonkers, Mayor Mike Spano has stated his administration has not been lobbied by his powerful brother’s firm. Emails indicate otherwise. nysfocus.com/2025/04/30/y...

Top New York Judge’s Son, and His Boss, At Center of Ethics Dispute A Queens court’s failure to reveal a romance has sparked accusations of bias.

The son of a top New York judge is at the center of a controversy over an undisclosed romance.

Meanwhile, the top state judge, Joseph Zayas, has himself appointed his son's girlfriend and boss to prestigious positions

nysfocus.com/2025/04/09/n...

Cuomo Failed to Disclose Lobbyists Who Bundled Donations Donors solicited by at least three undisclosed bundlers — Tonio Burgos, Jim Whelan, and Rick Ostroff — were told their gifts would be matched with public…

New: Cuomo failed to disclose lobbyists who fundraised for his mayoral bid nysfocus.com/2025/03/20/a... w/ @juliarock.bsky.social

Cuomo’s State-Funded Defense Lawyers Are Throwing Him a Fundraiser They got tens of millions of taxpayer dollars to defend Andrew Cuomo against scandal. Now, they’re helping fund his comeback.

Cuomo’s state-funded defense lawyers are the throwing him a fundraiser nysfocus.com/2025/03/11/a...

Patronage Never Left: NY Courts Still Favor the Politically Connected A New York Focus investigation reveals how party officials and politically connected law firms continue to profit from court-appointed roles.

Patronage Never Left: New York Courts Still Favor the Politically Connected nysfocus.com/2025/03/05/n...

A Simple Fix Could Stop Millions in Food Stamp Theft. Will New York… Chip technology has been standard in credit and debit cards for a decade. It could stop New York’s surging rate of stolen benefits.

NEW: SNAP has been a lifeline for needy New Yorkers at a time of increasing food insecurity.

But it has also become a target for thieves who use hidden skimming devices on card readers to steal millions in benefits. Will New York commit to a simple fix?

Mystery Donor Funds $10M Campaign Against Hochul Home Care Plan The money is being routed through a nonprofit.

Mystery donor funds $10M campaign against Hochul’s home care plan nysfocus.com/2025/02/04/h...

Reporters' Notebook: Bills Receipt, Clean Water Funding, and Court of… A $1700 Bills suite tab was paid with campaign funds, bipartisan support for clean water funding, and New York's top court upheld a man's conviction…

A new Reporters' Notebook from @chrisbragg1.bsky.social, @sammellins.bsky.social and @colinreports.bsky.social:

✅ A $1700 Bills suite tab was paid with campaign funds
✅ Bipartisan support for clean water funding
✅ New York’s top court upheld a man’s conviction despite his negligent lawyer

Green Funding Feint, Foundation Aid Update, and Lobbying Fines Hochul proposes school funding updates and a climate funding alternative. A prominent lobbying firm racks up fines.

NEW: Reporters' Note book from Bianca Fortis, @chrisbragg1.bsky.social and @colinreports.bsky.social:

-A prominent New York lobbying firm racks up fines
-Hochul proposes $1 billion in climate funding...over 5 years
-An update to the state's school funding formula

Climate Deadline Stripped from Hochul's State of the State Agenda at… The change was among a handful of eleventh-hour tweaks to Hochul’s policy briefing book.

Reporter @colinreports.bsky.social found that Hochul's staff tweaked her State of the State agenda at the last minute on Tuesday, removing a self-imposed deadline on cap and invest. Great find by a dogged reporter.
nysfocus.com/2025/01/17/h...