Lee Zurik
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As the city of New Orleans's most honored investigative reporter, Lee has been uncovering and reporting impactful stories on WVUE since 2009. Following up his tenacious inquiries with detailed analysis and powerful storytelling, Lee delivers unprecedented accountability of government officials, private citizens and corporations. Lee has been honored with journalism’s top honors including two George Foster Peabody Awards, three Alfred I. duPont Silver Batons, twelve National Edward R. Murrow Awards, and the Investigative Reporters and Editors Medal. In addition to his work at WVUE, Lee is Gray Television’s Vice President of Investigations. In that role for WVUE’s parent company, he oversees Gray Television’s National Investigative Team – InvestigateTV. Lee is a New Orleans native and a graduate of Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Public Communications.
Permission to Practice: Doctors, patients say insurance prior-authorizations put profits over people
Updated: Mar. 20, 2023 at 2:53 PM CDT
|By Emily Featherston, Jamie Grey, Lee Zurik, Bailey Williams and Payton Romans
Insurance companies say these reviews lower costs and protect patients, but what requires advance permission varies plan to plan, and critics argue the policies get between a patient and their doctor.
Updated: Mar. 17, 2023 at 5:00 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Officers said they always billed taxpayers for 16 hours while traveling with the mayor, regardless of how long they actually worked.
Updated: Mar. 16, 2023 at 10:01 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Prior to Officer Vappie joining the mayor's security team, no officer ever traveled with her. Another member of the team says he doesn't know of any other officer on a public board.
Updated: Mar. 15, 2023 at 10:13 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Officer Vappie was interviewed for nearly four hours and repeatedly referred to Mayor LaToya Cantrell as his supervisor, but it’s clear investigators wanted to know if a more personal relationship existed between the mayor and a member of her executive protection team.
Updated: Mar. 15, 2023 at 1:33 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik, Ken Daley and Natasha Robin
City Attorney, NOPD say material inadvertently given to a HANO board member
Updated: Mar. 7, 2023 at 10:25 PM CST
|By Ken Daley and Lee Zurik
Consent Decree Monitor Jonathan Aronie said he intervened in the reassignment request in December
Updated: Mar. 2, 2023 at 11:53 AM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
A city ordinance from April of 1972 prevents all but one company from getting a permit to sell food on the sidewalks and street corners of the French Quarter.
Updated: Mar. 1, 2023 at 11:31 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
Louisiana's Secretary of State says 25,000 active voter adjustment for recall purpose wasn't arbitrary
Updated: Feb. 27, 2023 at 3:00 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
The Sixth Amendment guarantees the right to an attorney, but there’s a public defender shortage. The problem means delayed justice for victims and prolonged jail time for the accused not convicted of crimes. In some areas, vacancies are at an all-time high. It’s leaving both defendants and victims waiting for months, sometimes even years, for justice.
Updated: Feb. 16, 2023 at 12:06 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Cantrell's Campaign Finance Report, filed just before the deadline, shows she spent $198,000 out of her campaign account in 2022.
Updated: Feb. 15, 2023 at 4:52 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Kenner and IV Waste are now locked in a legal battle.
Updated: Feb. 14, 2023 at 11:06 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Only one pushcart food vendor currently is permitted on the streets of the French Quarter
Updated: Feb. 9, 2023 at 11:49 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Former NOPD officers and Police Association of New Orleans attorney Eric Hessler accuse the NOPD’s public integrity bureau of lopsided investigations and inconsistent enforcement of policies.
Updated: Feb. 9, 2023 at 5:02 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Stella Cziment wrote a letter warning of potential conflicts regarding the NOPD’s internal investigation into Officer Jeffrey Vappie's timesheets.
Updated: Feb. 8, 2023 at 5:05 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Mayor LaToya Cantrell provided hardly any details about what members of her executive protection team are doing while logging long work days, sometimes nowhere near her.
Zurik: Mayor Cantrell’s security detail sometimes outnumbered those policing an entire NOPD district
Updated: Feb. 6, 2023 at 10:24 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Records show Mayor Cantrell's protection officers on the clock in New Orleans even when she was out of state or in France
Updated: Jan. 30, 2023 at 1:22 PM CST
|By InvestigateTV staff and Lee Zurik
In a pair of investigations Andy Pierrotti looks at flawed forensics and wrongful convictions.
Updated: Jan. 23, 2023 at 2:45 PM CST
|By Jill Riepenhoff, Lee Zurik and Conner Hendricks
More than two decades ago, the death of a toddler in a recalled portable crib prompted Congress to pass a new consumer protection law. Yet today, children still are dying in unsafe products, recalls remain largely ineffective at ridding homes of dangerous products, and the CPSC website that was supposed to help creates a false sense of security, an InvestigateTV analysis of federal records shows.
Updated: Jan. 19, 2023 at 6:11 AM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
"It’s not fair. It’s an unlevel playing field. How can you expect Mr. Richard at $13.75 a can to compete with other contractors who are getting $23 to $28 a can? You just can’t, because those other companies can pay their people more money."
Updated: Jan. 18, 2023 at 3:19 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
For decades, service members and their families were essentially barred from suing the military for medical malpractice.
Updated: Jan. 17, 2023 at 4:02 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
New details of a divorce petition obtained by Fox 8 imply New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell was involved in an extramarital affair with Officer Jeffrey Vappie.
Updated: Jan. 9, 2023 at 4:06 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
Joce Sterman exposes how the system meant to keep doctors in check is letting physicians keep their licenses even when they come to work impaired. Plus, non-profit hospitals claim they charge privately insured patients more to make up for losses on Medicare reimbursements, but a new report says some hospitals are making money off Medicare
Updated: Jan. 4, 2023 at 10:04 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Sources tell Fox 8 the FBI now is asking about Mayor LaToya Cantrell's schedule, use of a city-owned apartment and her time spent with a member of her security detail.
Updated: Dec. 15, 2022 at 10:30 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Mayor LaToya Cantrell claims her use of a city-owned apartment is in line with past mayors. But now former Mayor Marc Morial says he never used the apartment the way Cantrell is utilizing it.
Updated: Dec. 5, 2022 at 11:18 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
Sabrina Richardson was the subject of a series of Fox 8 investigations into potential double-dipping and payroll discrepancies.
Updated: Dec. 1, 2022 at 10:56 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
New records obtained by FOX 8 have a crime watchdog calling for Mayor Cantrell to speak with investigators about how she and a member of her executive protection team spend time and taxpayer money. The city first denied a FOX 8 public records request for the documents but handed them over after a FOX 8 attorney threatened to sue if the records weren't immediately released.
Updated: Dec. 1, 2022 at 7:44 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
City of New Orleans allocates millions to pay down judgments following series of FOX 8 Drained investigations.
Updated: Nov. 23, 2022 at 12:21 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
After a Fox 8 attorney got involved, the City of New Orleans released public documents Wednesday (Nov. 23) it initially refused to hand over.
Updated: Nov. 17, 2022 at 10:03 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
A political analyst and a crime watchdog believe Mayor Cantrell may have violated city policy with room upgrades, paid for by taxpayers, during her travel.
Updated: Nov. 17, 2022 at 5:30 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
David Bernard is leaving FOX 8 to pursue a new career path, handing the reigns to new Chief Meteorologist Bruce Katz. He promises while he won't be on TV anymore, people will still see him around town.
Updated: Nov. 16, 2022 at 10:11 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik, Ken Daley and Dannah Sauer
Clothing purchases on the mayor's behalf dating to 2017 are being scrutinized by the FBI, according to Fox 8 sources.
Updated: Nov. 16, 2022 at 10:01 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Mayor Cantrell has spent weeks traveling the country and globe this year, and has come under intense scrutiny as taxpayers foot the bill. Now, there are new questions about who is traveling with her, and when , and where Cantrell chooses to have security.
Updated: Nov. 15, 2022 at 10:47 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
FOX 8 reviewed Mayor Cantrell’s calendar for the past three years. Our findings lead two political analysts to conclude the mayor might not be working as much as taxpayers may expect.
Updated: Nov. 14, 2022 at 5:03 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Sources say the Inspector General is looking into whether the mayor has been utilizing the apartment for personal use, which would be a violation of a city policy
Updated: Nov. 14, 2022 at 11:13 AM CST
|By Jill Riepenhoff, Jamie Grey and Lee Zurik
When a company learns a product it sells could be defective and dangerous, it has 24 hours to let the federal government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission know about it. But it could take months or years for the public to find out about the company’s possible concerns, if they even come to light at all. InvestigateTV has been battling CPSC and companies to disclose information about the products companies have sounded the alarm on – an alarm that remains relatively silent.
Updated: Nov. 10, 2022 at 10:02 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Crime watchdog calls for broader NOPD investigation into the time Officer Jeffery Vappie logs on his timesheets.
Updated: Nov. 9, 2022 at 10:05 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Surveillance video raises questions about how Mayor Cantrell is spending her time and taxpayer money outside the office.
Updated: Nov. 7, 2022 at 10:55 PM CST
|By Lee Zurik
The FBI is now investigating an NOPD Lieutenant accused of payroll fraud.
Updated: Nov. 4, 2022 at 6:52 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Report details the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office's investigation into the unfounded allegations that a member of the Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office was following and photographing Mayor Cantrell.
Updated: Nov. 4, 2022 at 12:56 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Allegations surfaced that Deputy Greg Malveaux, who serves as security for Council President Helena Moreno, was following her and taking pictures. Because of those allegations, Sheriff Susan Hutson temporarily reassigned Malveaux until the sheriff’s investigation declared the allegations “unfounded.”
Updated: Oct. 27, 2022 at 10:01 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
In Louisiana, a judge can rule that a municipality owes a plaintiff money, but despite that, the municipality never has to pay. New data shows it is mainly a New Orleans problem.
Updated: Oct. 25, 2022 at 5:30 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
David Bernard has decided to leave FOX 8 to pursue a career change. He's going back to school to become a social worker.
Updated: Oct. 18, 2022 at 4:24 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
An investigation launched by the Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office into a longtime city council security aide found no evidence to back up claims Deputy Greg Malveaux stalked or surveilled Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
Updated: Oct. 13, 2022 at 6:36 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Six days after an Orleans Parish deputy was reassigned over an allegation that he stalked Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the Mayor has been unwilling to back up the allegations.
Updated: Oct. 13, 2022 at 6:54 AM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Sheriff Susan Hutson says she doesn’t address personnel matters, as questions mount over her decision to reassign a deputy.
Updated: Oct. 11, 2022 at 10:24 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
Council President Helena Moreno believes Mayor LaToya Cantrell is trying to retaliate against her and says a member of her team has been wrongly dragged into the fight.
Updated: Oct. 7, 2022 at 7:54 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
A day after the NOPD demoted a Captain who was caught double-dipping, a law professor says he believes the punishment didn't go far enough
Updated: Sep. 29, 2022 at 4:37 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
A two-month-long FOX 8 investigation finds New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell is possibly breaking city policy and maybe even state law, spending much of her time at a city-owned apartment, possibly without paying rent.
Updated: Sep. 19, 2022 at 4:03 PM CDT
|By Jill Riepenhoff and Lee Zurik
For many college coaches, it pays to get fired. Over a 17-year period beginning in 2005, public universities have shelled out more than $1.1 billion in buying out the contracts of college coaches, according to an InvestigateTV analysis of NCAA financial data collected by Syracuse University. Most of that money was spent on football coaches who play at the highest level of Division I athletics. As football coaches' annual compensation now stretches into seven digits, massive severance payments also grow bigger and bigger.
Updated: Sep. 7, 2022 at 11:12 PM CDT
|By Lee Zurik and Dannah Sauer
A crime watchdog says invoices raise more questions about former Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office employee Timothy David Ray's pay before he was fired.
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