Heather Vogell

Reporter

Photo of Heather Vogell

Heather Vogell is a reporter at ProPublica looking at U.S. trade policy and the baby formula industry.

Previously, she investigated the rental housing market and how many of the nation’s biggest landlords were sharing data and using one company’s algorithm to set rents — potentially in violation of laws against price fixing. Afterward, dozens of tenants filed antitrust lawsuits and U.S. senators proposed legislation that would restrict the practice. She has also written about President Donald Trump’s business entanglements and collaborated with WNYC reporters on the podcast “Trump, Inc.” Her 2019 stories were the first to chronicle discrepancies between what the Trump Organization told New York City property tax officials and what it reported on loan documents.

At The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, her work on test cheating in the public school system resulted in the indictments of the superintendent and 34 others. A series she co-authored, “Cheating Our Children,” examined suspicious test scores nationwide.

Her work has been a finalist for the Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting and the Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism; it has also won the Hillman Prize, Sigma Delta Chi Awards and multiple honors from the Education Writers Association and the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing.

Have You Had Trouble Renting an Apartment and Don’t Understand Why? It Might Be Your Tenant Screening Score.

Did a tenant screening company, such as LeasingDesk, On-Site, Credco or RentGrow, send you a score or report? We want to understand their effect on tenants.

Two School Districts Had Different Mask Policies. Only One Had a Teacher on a Ventilator.

Eleven states let school districts decide whether students and staff must wear masks. One Georgia middle school where masks were optional became the center of an outbreak.

The Kushners’ Freddie Mac Loan Wasn’t Just Massive. It Came With Unusually Good Terms, Too.

Despite a history of underperforming properties, Kushner Companies received a near-record sum from a government-backed lender. Should it default, taxpayers could be forced to foot much of the bill. The agency says politics played no role.

Trump Tower’s 2010 Profits Magically Grew By $3 Million In New Loan Filings

One set of reports listed the tower’s 2010 profits as $13.3 million; a second put them at $16.1 million. That helped the Trump Organization borrow $73 million more than it had before.

Whistleblower: Wall Street Has Engaged in Widespread Manipulation of Mortgage Funds

Securities that contain loans for properties like hotels and office buildings have inflated profits, the whistleblower claims. As the pandemic hammers the economy, that could increase the chances of another mortgage collapse.

Trump’s Company Paid Bribes to Reduce Property Taxes, Assessors Say

Five former city employees and a former Trump Organization employee say the company used middlemen to pay New York City tax assessors to lower building assessments and pay less taxes in the 1980s and 1990s.

We Found Major Trump Tax Inconsistencies. New York’s Mayor Wants a Criminal Investigation.

Asked about ProPublica’s findings that the president’s company made itself appear more profitable to lenders and less to tax officials, Bill de Blasio said the city had examined the matter and sent its findings to the Manhattan district attorney.

Trump Tax Records Reveal New Inconsistencies — This Time for Trump Tower

Documents show the president’s company reported different numbers — higher ones to lenders, lower ones to tax officials — for Trump’s signature building. Last month, ProPublica revealed a similar pattern in two other Trump buildings.

Never-Before-Seen Trump Tax Documents Show Major Inconsistencies

The president’s businesses made themselves appear more profitable to lenders and less profitable to tax officials. One expert calls the differing numbers “versions of fraud.”

Maryland Sues Notorious For-Profit Group Homes. The Company Was the Subject of ProPublica Investigation.

Maryland’s suit alleges that the company, which changed its name from AdvoServ to Bellwether, has allowed “Dickensian” conditions.

Trump Companies Accused of Tax Evasion in Panama

In the latest chapter in ongoing litigation, the private equity fund that bought what used to be called the Trump Ocean Club claims the Trump entities pocketed money that should have gone to the Panamanian government.

“Trump, Inc.” and Former FBI Deputy Chief Andrew McCabe Compare Notes

McCabe talks about going after Russian organized crime in Brighton Beach as a young agent — and how some of those characters showed up in the Mueller report.

Why Did Deutsche Bank Keep Lending to Donald Trump? — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

The bank kept writing checks even after Trump defaulted on loans worth hundreds of millions and sued it. Now Congressional investigators are going to court to uncover the financial records behind their relationship.

Mueller Went Looking for a Conspiracy, What He Found Was Conflict and a Cover-Up — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

Trump’s business deal was bigger, lasted longer and fueled more secrecy than we knew before.

Meet Trump’s Other Partners on His Attempted Moscow Tower — “Trump, Inc.” Podcast

In this week’s episode, we explore some of Donald Trump’s partners — including a developer with no site and no funding — and find one reason Trump might’ve needed to enlist help from the very top of Russia’s government.

Why Aren’t Hedge Funds Required to Fight Money Laundering?

A long-standing effort to make big investment funds abide by the same rules that banks and brokerages follow has bogged down. The fund industry says it supports the rules — it just has a few quibbles.

Here Are the Trump Projects Where Ivanka and Her Dad Misled Buyers

Read the Trumps’ false statements — and what the actual facts were.

Pump and Trump

Donald Trump claims he only licensed his name for real estate projects developed by others. But an investigation of a dozen Trump deals shows deep family involvement in projects that often involved deceptive practices.

Florida Moves to Shut Down For-Profit Residence After Finding Horrific Abuse and Neglect

ProPublica detailed a long pattern of mistreatment at Carlton Palms.

‘Trump, Inc.’ Podcast: Money Laundering and the Trump Taj Mahal

The casino’s money laundering controls were so lacking, regulators found, it amounted to “willful” violations of the law.

Follow ProPublica

Latest Stories from ProPublica