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Investigation playbook

How to follow a paper trail across TruthMark

Each TruthMark module answers a specific question. Real stories usually require chaining several. These are five worked examples of how to do that — what to check, in what order, and what to expect at each step.

For document-trail work (FOIA requests, public-records demands, tracking responsive documents), see the FOIA hub →

Principles for working a paper trail

  • Authoritative sources first. Federal regulators and state authorities have legal disclaimers and update faster than any aggregator. TruthMark deep-links there directly.
  • Chain across modules. A single record rarely tells the story. The same name appearing in two unrelated modules is often where the story actually is.
  • Distinguish disclosure from enforcement. Self-reported disclosures (10-K risk sections, charity 990s) answer “what does the entity say?” Enforcement records (CBP detentions, DOJ prosecutions, AG actions) answer “what have regulators done?” They're not the same.
  • Absence is information. A missing FARA filing when one is required, a missing state charity registration when the org solicits in-state, a missing 10-K disclosure — these are themselves reportable facts.
  • Save your work as you go.Every TruthMark deep- link goes to an authoritative source — bookmark or print the source page (use the print stylesheet — link URLs print). Don't rely on TruthMark to cache anything; we don't.

Worked example

A child-welfare contractor in your state may be mistreating kids

You hear that a private agency running a foster-care program or a community-based-care lead agency in your state has been the subject of complaints. You want to know: who runs it, who funds it, who oversees it, what enforcement has caught it.

  1. Corporations →Is it a public company? Subsidiary of one?

    Search SEC EDGAR for 10-K/10-Q filings that name the contractor. Public for-profit foster-care chains file detailed risk disclosures including pending litigation and state-contract concentration.

  2. Nonprofits →If a nonprofit, what does Form 990 say?

    Search ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for the org's Form 990. Look at: officer compensation, related-party transactions (Schedule L), program-services expense ratio, grant sources (Schedule I).

  3. State charity registry →Is it registered to solicit in your state?

    Most states require charities to register with the AG, SOS, or consumer-protection agency. Look for suspensions, financial discrepancies between the state filing and the 990, registration-status warnings.

  4. SAM.gov + USAspending →Does it take federal grants? State contracts?

    SAM.gov shows federal contractor/grantee registration including any debarments or exclusions. USAspending shows what they've actually received from federal sources. Cross-check against any state contract data published by the state comptroller.

  5. Courts →Has it been sued? Settled?

    CourtListener / RECAP search for the entity name in federal court filings. Civil-rights and §1983 actions against state-foster-care contractors are searchable. State court coverage varies by state.

  6. Lobbying →Has it lobbied your state legislature?

    Senate LDA database covers federal lobbying; state lobbying is per-state (often through the state ethics commission — see /politicians for the per-state list). Look for lobbying around child-welfare appropriations, contract-procurement rules, immunity provisions.

  7. Politicians →Who decided your state's CPS budget? Who oversees the contractor?

    State legislators on child-welfare oversight committees, state AG (who often handles contractor enforcement), governor's office. /politicians has campaign finance + ethics for each. Cross-check against the contractor's PAC contributions and lobbying.

What you have at the endWhat you've built: a complete record of the contractor's federal tax status, state registration status, financial history, federal funding, litigation exposure, lobbying activity, and the elected officials who control its oversight. Each link is to an authoritative source you can quote, screenshot, and re-verify. Nothing is filtered through TruthMark editorial commentary.

Recent context (Brave Search · cached 6h)

Live web headlines matching this playbook's topic. Not vetted by TruthMark — these are external news/blog results that may help orient your investigation.

  • KS foster care contractors investigated after kids at risk | Kansas City Star

    kansascity.com · July 3, 2023

    ▪ A fourth Kansas child in care was able to grab “unsecured” prescription medication and run off. Later, he allegedly crushed and snorted some of it. ▪ And, early last year, a supervisor with Saint Francis Ministries was investigated for dragging a foster child by her ankles. Some incidents, described in detail throughout the records, are proof, experts and child advocates say, that DCF must do more to hold contractors accountable and protect the state’s most vulnerable children.

  • New laws create more oversight, accountability for Texas private foster care contractors

    wfaa.com · July 17, 2025

    SB 1398 creates a system of required reporting to help ensure that every viable option is explored to place children who have been removed from their homes before taking them into state care, whether they live in a region that is in community-based care or in traditional state-run foster care. The bill also requires DFPS to publish data based on performance measures, quality improvement plans and timelines for corrective action steps that exist for community-based care contractors to its website to create more transparency and accountability for the private groups.

  • Foster Care Negligence and Abuse | Nashville Personal Injury Lawyers The Law Offices of John Day, P.C.

    johndaylegal.com · December 2, 2025

    Our firm investigates agency protocols, training records, internal communications, and prior incident reports to identify failures in supervision and accountability. The effects of foster care abuse or neglect can be devastating and long-lasting.

See more on Brave Search →

Worked example

A 'grassroots' political ad campaign in your district may be dark money

An ad campaign appears in your race claiming to be from a citizen group. You suspect it's actually funded by a single donor, corporation, or out-of-state interest using a 501(c)(4) as a conduit. You want to trace the money.

  1. Elections →Who's running the ads? What's the entity name?

    Federal ads → FEC for committee filings. State ads → state campaign-finance regulator (TX Ethics, NY ELEC, MA OCPF, etc.) listed per-state in /elections. Look for the 'paid for by' disclosure to identify the committee.

  2. Nonprofits →Is the funding entity a 501(c)(4)?

    Search ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer for the entity. 501(c)(4)s don't have to disclose donors but DO file Form 990 with Schedule B (publicly redacted) and Schedule I (grants). Look for grants TO the organization — those are sometimes traceable to the original donor.

  3. FARA →Is foreign money involved?

    If the organization or its principals are working on behalf of a foreign government, party, or corporation, FARA registration is required. Absence of a FARA filing where one is required is itself a legal violation.

  4. Lobbying →Has the entity lobbied federal/state government?

    Senate LDA shows federal lobbying registration. 501(c)(4)s that do lobbying must disclose. Look for the lobbying firm hired, the issues, and the spending.

  5. Corporations →Did a public company donate?

    Some public companies disclose political contributions in 10-K risk sections or proxy statements. SEC EDGAR full-text search for the org name + 'contribution'. Less common but happens.

  6. Courts →Is there pending FEC / state-election enforcement?

    CourtListener for FEC enforcement actions; state campaign-finance regulators often publish enforcement decisions. Many dark-money disputes end in administrative settlements that are public.

What you have at the endDark money is dark because the contribution chain is structured to break in places. You usually can't trace it all the way to a named donor, but you can identify (a) the conduit organization, (b) its known donors via 990 Schedule I from the donor side, (c) its lobbying activity, (d) any enforcement actions. That's often enough to write a story without speculating about who is ultimately funding it.

Recent context (Brave Search · cached 6h)

Live web headlines matching this playbook's topic. Not vetted by TruthMark — these are external news/blog results that may help orient your investigation.

  • Demanding Disclosure from Dark Money Nonprofits (Freedom Path v. IRS) | Campaign Legal Center

    campaignlegal.org · March 11, 2026

    This flood of “dark money” undermines the disclosure requirements that form the backbone of federal campaign finance law, and it deprives voters of information essential to evaluating political messages and detecting corruption.

  • How the IRS Gave Up Fighting Political Dark Money Groups — ProPublica

    propublica.org · March 2, 2020

    The review committee forwarded 10 of those for investigation; as of early last year, half of those were being investigated and the other half were awaiting action. (The IRS statement noted that the agency “disagreed” with the inspector general’s “conclusion that allegations of political campaign intervention or excessive lobbying were not forwarded to the [review committee] for review as requested” and asserted that “some referrals may not contain all the elements required for the IRS to proceed.”)

  • Dark money - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org · 3 weeks ago

    The 2014 version of the DISCLOSE ... 501(c)(4), to reveal the source of election-spending donations of $10,000 or more. The bill also targets the use of pass-through and shell corporations to evade disclosure by requiring that such groups disclose the origin of contributions.

See more on Brave Search →

Worked example

A foreign-government influence operation in U.S. civil society

A think tank or advocacy organization is pushing a policy position that benefits a specific foreign government. You suspect they're acting on the foreign government's behalf without disclosing it.

  1. FARA →Are they registered? Who else does similar work for the same principal?

    DOJ FARA registry — searchable by registrant name, foreign principal, and country. Look at all U.S. agents of the country in question. Many are PR firms, law firms, or research orgs; their disclosed work tells you the influence-operation contours.

  2. Nonprofits →How is the U.S. organization funded?

    Form 990 Schedule B is donor-aware (publicly redacted); Schedule I is grants OUT. Cross-check the organization's stated funding against international NGOs and foundations. Foreign-government-linked think tanks often have unusual funding patterns.

  3. Lobbying →Is there parallel registered lobbying?

    LDA-registered lobbyists with the same foreign-policy issue focus, often hired by the same FARA registrants. The combination of FARA + LDA disclosure tells you the influence-operation budget and targets.

  4. Politicians →Which U.S. legislators take meetings? Travel?

    House and Senate financial disclosures (eFD / House Clerk) record sponsored travel — foreign-government-paid trips must be disclosed. Cross-check against legislators who've publicly aligned with the foreign principal's positions.

  5. Corporations →Are there business interests at stake?

    SEC EDGAR for U.S. companies with material operations or revenue in the foreign country. Some foreign-influence operations are coordinated with U.S. business interests; some aren't. Distinguishing matters.

What you have at the endForeign-influence operations work best when the influence is unattributable. FARA is the federal disclosure backbone; its absence (in cases where it's required) is itself reportable. The combination of FARA + 990 + lobbying + congressional financial disclosures is enough to map the operation's funding and targets without speculating about intent.

Recent context (Brave Search · cached 6h)

Live web headlines matching this playbook's topic. Not vetted by TruthMark — these are external news/blog results that may help orient your investigation.

  • FARA Foreign Agents Registration Act

    justice.gov · August 17, 2017

    Disclosure of the required information ... agents. The FARA Unit of the Counterintelligence and Export Control Section (CES) in the National Security Division (NSD) is responsible for the administration and enforcement of FARA...

  • FARA.us: Your Guide to Foreign Agents Registration Act Rules

    fara.us

    The disclosure requirements and legal obligations imposed on a registered “agent” should be carefully observed with assistance of legal counsel. The Department of Justice’s FARA Registration Unit is tasked with policing FARA violations. Historically, the Department has encouraged voluntary compliance over bringing enforcement cases, but it has pursued criminal and civil enforcement actions with increasing frequency in recent years.

  • Foreign Agents Registration Act - Wikipedia

    en.wikipedia.org · April 18, 2026

    Its explicit purpose is to promote ... end, the DOJ is required to make information concerning foreign agents' registrations and their disclosed activities on behalf of foreign principals publicly available. FARA was enacted in 1938 primarily to counter Nazi propaganda, with an initial focus on criminal prosecution of subversive activities; since 1966, enforcement has shifted mostly to civil penalties and voluntary compliance...

See more on Brave Search →

Worked example

A consumer brand may be sourcing from forced-labor supply chains

A clothing brand, electronics manufacturer, or agricultural-products company has been the subject of forced-labor allegations. You want to trace what's actually documented versus what's allegation.

  1. DOL ILAB →Is the source country/product on the federal list?

    DOL ILAB's List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor names country/good pairs. This is country-and-good, NOT company-and-good — but it's the federal threshold for 'reasonable belief' that forced labor occurs in this supply chain.

  2. CBP UFLPA →Has CBP detained shipments? Is the producer on the Entity List?

    CBP's UFLPA enforcement page + Entity List name producers under sanction. UFLPA detentions are imports-based; the rebuttable-presumption framework means detained shipments may still be released after evidence is provided.

  3. Supply Chain methodology →What's the difference between disclosure and enforcement?

    The methodology page explains why CA TISCA disclosures (self-reported by the company) are NOT the same as CBP enforcement actions (regulator-determined). Both belong in a complete picture but they answer different questions.

  4. Corporations →What does the company itself disclose?

    SEC EDGAR full-text search for the company name + 'forced labor' / 'UFLPA' / 'Xinjiang' / 'human rights'. 10-K risk sections often disclose supply-chain concerns even when the company hasn't been formally cited.

  5. DOJ Worker Exploitation Task Force →Federal prosecution history?

    DOJ HTPU and the National Worker Exploitation Task Force prosecute forced-labor cases. Press releases name defendants when cases are filed; closed-without-prosecution cases don't appear publicly.

  6. Courts →Civil litigation? ATS claims?

    CourtListener for civil-rights, RICO, or Alien Tort Statute claims against the company. Some forced-labor disputes are litigated civilly before any federal enforcement action.

What you have at the endForced-labor reporting fails when it conflates country/good lists (ILAB) with company indictments (which mostly don't exist at the corporate level), or when it treats corporate self-disclosure as equivalent to enforcement findings. The methodology page distinguishes these. The federal sources + SEC disclosures + civil-litigation history together are what supports a defensible story.

Recent context (Brave Search · cached 6h)

Live web headlines matching this playbook's topic. Not vetted by TruthMark — these are external news/blog results that may help orient your investigation.

See more on Brave Search →

Worked example

A state judge may have undisclosed conflicts of interest

You're reporting on a state-court case and the judge's rulings seem to align oddly well with one party's interests. You want to check for undisclosed financial relationships, campaign contributions from litigants, or family ties.

  1. Courts →Who is the judge? What court? What's the case?

    CourtListener for the judge's profile and case history. Most state-court judges appear if their cases have been published or appealed federally. Coverage is heavier for federal courts than state.

  2. Elections →Is the judge elected? Campaign finance?

    38 states elect at least some judges. FollowTheMoney.org tracks judicial campaign contributions in those states. Cross-check the donor list against the litigants and their lawyers in the case at issue.

  3. Lawyers →What about the lawyers in the case?

    State bar admission records + discipline history for the attorneys on both sides. Some states publish trust-account violations and unrelated discipline that bears on credibility.

  4. Public Employees →Judicial financial disclosures

    Most states require judges to file financial disclosures with the state ethics commission (separately from campaign finance). /politicians lists each state's ethics commission. Disclosures cover outside income, gifts, stock ownership, real estate.

  5. Nonprofits →Board memberships?

    Form 990 lists officers, directors, and trustees of each nonprofit. Search the judge's name across the ProPublica Explorer — board memberships at parties to litigation, or at orgs funded by parties, are conflict-of-interest signals.

  6. Lobbying →Family connections to lobbyists?

    LDA disclosures + state lobbying registrations are searchable by lobbyist name. Spouses or adult children of judges who are registered lobbyists representing parties to litigation are a reportable conflict in most jurisdictions.

What you have at the endJudicial-conflict reporting depends on documentation: a ruling that 'seems wrong' isn't a story; an undisclosed contribution from a party-of-interest is. The combination of CourtListener + FollowTheMoney + state-ethics financial disclosures + 990 board memberships is usually enough to either confirm a conflict (and report it) or rule one out (and drop the angle).

Recent context (Brave Search · cached 6h)

Live web headlines matching this playbook's topic. Not vetted by TruthMark — these are external news/blog results that may help orient your investigation.

See more on Brave Search →

Cross-module suggestions are unavailable right now — refresh to retry, or browse modules directly at /search.

These playbooks are deliberately specific. Generic “investigation 101” advice is everywhere; what's useful is knowing which TruthMark module answers which question in the order it usually needs to be asked. If you find a story shape we don't cover, the FOIA hub and the cross-module name search are general-purpose entry points.

See also: FOIA hub · Smart router (start from a plain-language question) · Cross-module name search