Citibank Freezes Accounts of Non-Profits

•

16 hours ago

Summary

The FBI has requested that Citibank freeze the accounts of 30 nonprofits that received funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, a program aimed at reducing carbon emissions. The move follows concerns raised by EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin about fraud and abuse in the program.

Key Points

The Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund was established to provide grants for green energy projects, with $14 billion allocated to the National Clean Investment Fund.
Citibank has been administering the funds on behalf of the EPA, but has been ordered to freeze the accounts of several nonprofits due to concerns about fraud and abuse.
The FBI has requested that Citibank place a 30-day administrative freeze on the accounts of the affected nonprofits.

Why It Matters

This move highlights concerns about the potential misuse of funds allocated for green energy projects, and underscores the need for greater transparency and accountability in government programs.

Author

Tim De Chant

More Headlines

TikTok's Future in US Hangs in Balance as Oracle Emerges as Leading Contender to Manage App

TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, has until April to finalize a sale to a US-based buyer. A new report suggests that Oracle is the leading candidate to serve as the cloud technology partner for managing TikTok in the US. This deal would allow ByteDance to have a hands-on role in TikTok's operations.

Bluesky CEO Pokes Fun at Zuckerberg with Latin Phrase T-Shirt

During the SXSW conference, Bluesky's CEO Jay Graber took to the stage and wore a t-shirt with a Latin phrase that poked fun at Mark Zuckerberg. The shirt read 'Mundus sine Caesaribus' which translates to 'a world without Caesars'. This is a nod to Zuckerberg's own shirt which reads 'Aut Zuck aut nihil' which means 'Zuck or nothing'.

TO THE LAB WE GO: Uncovering the Secrets of Apple's Lockdown Mode

As a paranoid journalist, I decided to run an experiment with Apple's Lockdown Mode to see what happens when you try to reach someone with the feature enabled. With the help of my friend and chief information security officer Harlo Holmes, we tested the limits of Lockdown Mode by sending each other messages with various types of content.

Y Combinator Urges Trump Administration to Support EU's Digital Markets Act

y combinator, a prominent startup accelerator, has sent a letter to the trump administration urging support for europe's digital markets act. the act aims to promote interoperability and innovation in the tech industry by limiting the market power of big tech companies. y c argues that the act is in line with values that promote american innovation.

Flock Safety Raises $275 Million at $7.5 Billion Valuation

Flock Safety, a startup that makes computer vision-enabled video surveillance technology, has raised $275 million at a valuation of $7.5 billion. The funding round was led by Bedrock Capital, with participation from other investors. Flock's growth has been impressive, with the company crossing over $300 million in annual recurring revenue last year.

Bryan Johnson's 'Foodome' Sequencing Plan

Bryan Johnson, founder of the Don't Die movement, aims to sequence the U.S. 'foodome' by testing 20% of foods that constitute 80% of the American diet. He believes this will help people make informed decisions about what they eat and promote healthy eating habits.

Google Gemini with Personalization: A New Experimental Capability

Google has announced a new experimental capability for its Gemini chatbot apps that allows for personalized responses based on users' search history and preferences. This new feature, called Personalization, uses machine learning algorithms to tailor the chatbot's responses to each user's unique needs and interests.

OpenAI Proposes AI Action Plan

openai, a leading artificial intelligence research organization, has proposed an action plan for the us government to consider banning prc-supported ai models due to security concerns. deepseek, a chinese ai lab, is accused of being state-subsidized and controlled, and openai claims that its models pose privacy and security risks.

Meghan Markle Launches New Podcast

Meghan Markle, the Duchess of Sussex, is launching a new podcast called 'Confessions of a Female Founder' on Lemonada Media. The show will feature talks with other female founders and her own entrepreneurial journey.

Facebook Rolls Out Monetization Option for Creators on Public Stories

Facebook is rolling out the ability for creators to earn money for views on public stories. With this new monetization option, creators can earn money from content they are already producing and sharing if they post it to their Facebook story.

Startups Accelerator Yama Pants?

Pickle, a startup accelerator, has developed an AI-powered clone feature that lets you 'clone' an ideal version of yourself and put that much better-composed individual onto the screen, lip-syncing to your voice in real-time. This technology aims to revolutionize remote work by providing a more immersive experience.

Light Phone III Launches on March 27

Light, the maker of a minimalist phone designed to help consumers disconnect from smartphone distractions and social media, will launch its newest model, the Light Phone III, on March 27. This version of the device offers a simple black-and-white display and necessary features like support for calls, texts, navigation, alarms, hotspots, a calendar, and more.

Rumman Chowdhury Criticizes Elon Musk and DOGE

Rumman Chowdhury, a data scientist and former Twitter director, criticized Elon Musk and DOGE for their handling of federal agencies. She claimed that Musk's leadership style breeds chaos and compromises cybersecurity.

Amazon Won't Take Action Against Three Phone Blending in with Android's Built-in Apps

A recent TechCrunch investigation discovered that three stalkerware apps, Cocospy, Spyic, and another app, were uploading victims' data to their respective storage buckets hosted on Amazon Web Services. This raises concerns about the potential risks of using AWS for storing sensitive information.