2020 Finalist, Goldsmith Prize for Investigative Reporting

Fleeing Justice

In October 2018, federal law enforcement agents in Oregon suspected the Saudi Arabian government had helped one of its citizens, a young college student studying in Portland, flee the United States weeks before his trial in the hit-and-run death of a teenage girl. Based on a tip about this case, a reporter for The Oregonian newspaper uncovered a pattern of similar cases around the country, some dating back decades. In response, Oregon’s senior Senator introduced a bill that forces U.S. intelligence officials to disclose what they know about the Saudi Arabian government’s suspected role in spiriting its citizens out of the United States to escape criminal prosecution. The bill was signed into law in December, 2019.

Read more about the story behind the investigation in this piece by The Journalist’s Resource.

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