There's a cliche in movies (and certain, uh, adult films) that many strippers are actually empowered women trying to pay their way through graduate school. Scoff if you will, but considering how many strippers have successfully sued the city or their employers in the last year, for everything from career-ending scars to sexual harassment, we're starting to think there may be something to this. more ›

Former NY State Comptroller Alan Hevesi resigned in 2007 because it was discovered he used state vehicles to chauffeur his sick wife around. Now he's expected to plead guilty to charges that his office gave state pension business to investment firms that would give his team, family and friends kickbacks and fees. Albany—forever stinky! more ›

Prepare to be shocked, readers: The feds have charged eight members of the Colombo crime family with extortion, racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud conspiracy, and embezzlement of union benefit funds in connection with construction at the World Trade Center site. Yes, in addition to a lack of progress at the site, there's mob activity. more ›

The Daily News has been investigating former Bronx Borough President and new director of White House urban policy Adolfo Carrion Jr.'s dealings with developers lately. Today, the News wonders whether there's a connection between the renovation work architect Hugo Subotovsky did on Carrion's City Island home and Carrion's approval of a huge taxpayer-subsidized development—designed by Subotovsky— in the Bronx. At the time of his home renovation (basically installing a balcony onto the second floor), the News reports, "Carrión had at least $15,000 in credit card debt, was paying off two mortgages worth more than $500,000 and had $5,000 in revolving credit from Chase bank." Carrion hasn't revealed how much the renovation cost and declined to show the News copies of the checks used to pay for the work, leading the News to remind us, if it was an unreported gift, it "could be seen as Carrión using his position to benefit himself financially, a violation of the law. It could also be unreported income." more ›

Federal prosecutors say that eleven Con Edison supervisors (ten current and one retired) forced a contractor to give them over a $1 million in bribes so they'd approve payments on projects like clean-up from the 2007 steam pipe explosion near Grand Central Station. And what's more, the feds have wiretaps of them bragging about it. Classy! more ›