Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to To the Point

    To the Point

    Justice Department Accuses Background Check Firm of Fraud

    It was no surprise that the fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden's original security clearance was flawed. But a new lawsuit by the Justice Department makes an astonishing claim: more than 660,000 background investigations by an outside firm were fraudulent.

    • rss
    • Share
    By Warren Olney • May 12, 2014 • 1 min read

    It was no surprise that the fugitive intelligence contractor Edward Snowden's original security clearance was flawed. But a new lawsuit by the Justice Department makes an astonishing claim: more than 660,000 background investigations by an outside firm were fraudulent. The Clinton Administration started out-sourcing security background checks in 1996. Since then, US Investigations Services, or USIS, has done 45% of the work. Now the Justice Department is accusing the company of massive fraud. Dion Nissenbaum covers national security for the Wall Street Journal.

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    Abortion Making a Comeback in This Year's Midterm Elections
    1. 0:00Watchdog Group Says NSA Phone Record Program Is Illegal
    2. 7:51Abortion Makes a Comeback in This Year's Midterm Elections
    3. 44:35Justice Department Accuses Background Check Firm of FraudYou’re reading this
    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Warren Olney

      former KCRW broadcaster

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Jenny Hamel

      KCRW

    • KCRW placeholder

      Katie Cooper

      Producer, 'One year Later'

    • KCRW placeholder

      Liyna Anwar

      Assistant Producer, To the Point/Which Way, LA?

    • KCRW placeholder

      Dion Nissenbaum

      Wall Street Journal

      NewsNationalPolitics

    The full episode

    3 of 3
    Abortion Making a Comeback in This Year's Midterm Elections
    1. 0:00Watchdog Group Says NSA Phone Record Program Is Illegal
    2. 7:51Abortion Makes a Comeback in This Year's Midterm Elections
    3. 44:35Justice Department Accuses Background Check Firm of FraudYou’re reading this
    Back to To the Point