Shahien Nasiripour On 'Democracy Now!' (VIDEO)

Shahien Nasiripour, Senior Business Reporter for The Huffington Post, appeared on "Democracy Now!" to discuss his recent report, "Confidential Federal Audits Accuse Five Biggest Mortgage Firms Of Defrauding Taxpayers."

When asked by Amy Goodman which financial institutions were being held accountable for illegal practices, Nasiripour responds, "Nothing can really happen unless Justice brings charges. But the pressure is on the Department of Justice, because now we know the existence of these reports."

"Democracy Now!" describes Nasiripour's report on their website, writing:

The Huffington Post has revealed that a set of confidential federal audits accuse the nation's five largest mortgage companies of defrauding taxpayers in their handling of foreclosures on homes purchased with government-backed loans. The audits conclude the banks cheated the government by overvaluing their losses on foreclosed homes and submitting faulty and defective documents to get federal reimbursement.

According to Nasiripour's report, the investigations examined Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Citigroup and Ally Financial. The banks were found to be in violation of the False Claims Act.

During the interview, Nasiripour says, "Now we have these audits that are on the table and the banks know that essentially, the government's here to play ball, and they're not messing around."

WATCH:

 

Comments

[RTIII]

09:55 PM on 05/18/2011

I love Democracy Now, and Amy Goodman, who I have always liked and admired, is definetly improving with regard to her sometimes lifeless, "deadpan" energy level - may she continue in that regard!

[womenforaction]

09:26 PM on 05/18/2011

I am glad Shahien Nasiripour is doing this work. We have to observe this thing as it unfolds. And that's if (a big "if" at that) it does. Anytime these major banks receive such a large government benefit like the trillion-dollar-bailout, it definitely exemplifies what sort of influence they may have, even over our very own government. I am not expecting any major results from this. At best, we might get an investigation for the sake of politics. And if anyone gets punished, they will walks away with financial security for the rest of their lives. Otherwise, business will resume as usual.

[rsunday]

06:19 PM on 05/18/2011

to "IBegYourPardon" and "volumexxvii", I agree 100% with you: Democracy Now! IN-DEPTH News & INVESTIGATIVE Reporting (8am, 2 or 3pm P.T), DOES beat ALL U.S info-teinment networks. For the people that don't know where to find DN!, Al Jazeera-English, D-W Journal-German Network, plus Japanese and Jewish News Networks; tune in to Independent tv channel LINK-TV (DirecTv 375, DishNetwork 9410); check w-site for programming and schedule:
http://www.linktv.org/

[IBegYourPardon]

04:03 PM on 05/18/2011

Democracy Now beats ANY US network!

[volumexxvii]

05:42 PM on 05/18/2011

.... by far.

[curmudgeon98]

03:39 PM on 05/18/2011

Thanks, again Shahien

I think that Holder will live up to his name - and Hold(er) them a long time.

[TankGirlz]

02:52 PM on 05/18/2011

Not exactly CNN, but a start I guess.

[IBegYourPardon]

04:03 PM on 05/18/2011

CNN = Corporate lies

Democracy Now = Truth

[TankGirlz]

07:37 PM on 05/18/2011

Jebus...Meaning, not many will see it.. at least the ones that NEED to.

[volumexxvii]

05:43 PM on 05/18/2011

?

[TankGirlz]

07:32 PM on 05/18/2011

Democracy Now not exactly cable news, or network for that matter.

[spinns17]

02:36 PM on 05/18/2011

I GOT THE ROPES

[ksmith111]

02:21 PM on 05/18/2011

Just watch after their investigation they will come up with a settlement TOO BIG TO FAIL REDUX and the little gets screwed again.

[samtee]

02:19 PM on 05/18/2011

They aren't going to do anything because it was the dems policies that allowed them to do what they did.

[wsterr]

02:48 PM on 05/18/2011

Keep dreaming

[samtee]

03:10 PM on 05/18/2011

What do you think got us here, it sure wasn't Bush, it was Carter and Clinton.

[samtee]

03:13 PM on 05/18/2011

http://weroinnm.wordpress.com/2010/10/06/who-or-what-caused-the-economic-crisis-that-propelled-president-obama-into-office/

[MtnGeek]

03:05 PM on 05/18/2011

Keep telling yourself that. Absolving any party from responsibility only hides the problem. This was a bipartisan disaster and both parties need to step up and take responsibility for what they've done.

[samtee]

03:13 PM on 05/18/2011

Facts are Facts.

[jnratliff]

02:04 PM on 05/18/2011

IMO if they foreclosed on someone that was in one of the wars they should be put out of business!

[MtnGeek]

03:07 PM on 05/18/2011

So any soldier that can get a mortgage on a house they cannot afford gets a free walk? I don't think forclosing on soldiers should be a priority, but if you are clearly not paying your bills why should where your job sent you matter?

[jnratliff]

06:03 PM on 05/18/2011

PS remember you were fine with sending them over there! You thought they were protecting your cowardly butt!

[Earn My Vote]

01:58 PM on 05/18/2011

God Bless Shahien Nasiripour. He has been reporting about this issue for years, and he never stops investigating and reporting, even when the chips are down. He deserves a journalistic award for his reporting on the mortgage crisis and banks.

[Peoplesrepublicofusa]

02:14 PM on 05/18/2011

He better settle down or face getting a one way trip to GITMO. Politicians don't care about and definitely dont want them to learn the truth. I no, I have said to muc................................

[CianSloan]

03:53 PM on 05/18/2011

Cheney is no longer in power, so this seems unlikely.

[nomoredead]

01:46 PM on 05/18/2011

http://www.youtube.com/user/fiercefreeleancer

Says it all....

[DungBeetle]

01:41 PM on 05/18/2011

Love DN.

Hey, when will Jamie Dimon be frog marched out in a perp walk? Or our buddy, Blankfien?

Let me know.

[paul abrook]

01:37 PM on 05/18/2011

"Yes as through this world I've wandered I've seen lots of funny men; some will rob you with a six-gun, and some with a fountain pen."
Woody Guthrie (Pretty Boy Floyd)

[limpinalien]

01:09 PM on 05/18/2011

If one of us commits fraud, guess where we'll end up? When one of the banks commit fraud, they "settle" with a slap on the wrist. Cool. Good luck America and all the best in the future.