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foster care scandal

Family Court Fury: A whistleblowing mom-turned-podcaster exposes Title IV-D cash incentives, court corruption, and a growing reform movement.

Family Court Fury: Cash, Corruption & a Call for Change

    There’s an earthquake in America’s family courts—and parents are done staying quiet. On a Special Report of The Unknown Podcast, investigative journalists Richard Luthmann and Michael Volpe sit down with whistleblowing mom-turned-reporter and podcaster Maryann Petri to expose a cash-for-kids system fueled by Title IV-D money. Petri’s life was shattered by false CPS claims and financial ruin—but she fought back. What emerges is a damning portrait of courts that profit from broken families—and a growing national movement demanding accountability, shared parenting, and real reform before more children are destroyed.

    FOIA Bombshell Reveals Child Sex Trafficking Fears

      A Freedom of Information Act bombshell has rocked Illinois. FOIA documents obtained by State House candidate Bailey Templeton reveal 166 foster children vanished from DCFS custody in 2024—a 935% spike from prior years. Templeton says the state’s child welfare agency is “cooking the books” to hide a disaster that may conceal a child sex trafficking ring. Law enforcement sources told The Family Court Circus the figures are “highly suspect” and “it would be shocking if a trafficking ring wasn’t operating under DCFS’s nose.” Meanwhile, Governor Pritzker and DCFS officials remain silent.