NC lawmakers question child welfare after girl’s death

June 5, 2026

Summary

A legislative hearing found repeated failures by Mecklenburg child welfare workers before Dominique Moody’s death.

Why this matters

The hearing highlighted gaps in child welfare oversight, staffing, and coordination with law enforcement. The findings could shape state policy changes, including proposed regional case escalation teams.

North Carolina lawmakers questioned state and Mecklenburg County officials Thursday after a review of the 2025 death of 6-year-old Dominique Moody found repeated missed opportunities by child welfare workers.

Investigators said Dominique, who died in December 2025 in Charlotte, weighed 27 pounds and was found in a dog crate after years of abuse and starvation. Her legal guardian and two other caregivers face charges including felony child abuse and first-degree murder.

At a House Oversight Committee hearing, state officials said 13 abuse or neglect allegations involving Dominique had been reported over the years. At one point, a caseworker recommended removing her from the home, but a supervisor overruled that decision. Referrals to other agencies were not followed up on.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said a review found numerous violations of state law, rules, and policy in Mecklenburg County’s child welfare practice.

Lawmakers also pressed law enforcement officials. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said his office had not interacted with anyone in the home since December 2023. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson said a criminal referral from social services was later screened out after a home visit.

Mecklenburg County Manager Mike Bryant said 12 people were placed on administrative review, disciplinary action had been taken, and he was recommending 22 new positions for the social services agency. Interim Director Letecia Loadholt said 94 investigators were handling 1,021 open investigations and 654 new cases, with workers averaging 17 cases each.

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lejeune lead

NC lawmakers question child welfare after girl’s death

A broader review of 58 cases found that in 36% of cases involving allegations that met the criminal definition of child abuse, files did not show notification to law enforcement or the district attorney.

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North Carolina lawmakers questioned state and Mecklenburg County officials Thursday after a review of the 2025 death of 6-year-old Dominique Moody found repeated missed opportunities by child welfare workers.

Investigators said Dominique, who died in December 2025 in Charlotte, weighed 27 pounds and was found in a dog crate after years of abuse and starvation. Her legal guardian and two other caregivers face charges including felony child abuse and first-degree murder.

At a House Oversight Committee hearing, state officials said 13 abuse or neglect allegations involving Dominique had been reported over the years. At one point, a caseworker recommended removing her from the home, but a supervisor overruled that decision. Referrals to other agencies were not followed up on.

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services said a review found numerous violations of state law, rules, and policy in Mecklenburg County’s child welfare practice.

Lawmakers also pressed law enforcement officials. Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden said his office had not interacted with anyone in the home since December 2023. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Estella Patterson said a criminal referral from social services was later screened out after a home visit.

Mecklenburg County Manager Mike Bryant said 12 people were placed on administrative review, disciplinary action had been taken, and he was recommending 22 new positions for the social services agency. Interim Director Letecia Loadholt said 94 investigators were handling 1,021 open investigations and 654 new cases, with workers averaging 17 cases each.
Hawaii

Maui woman charged with illegal voting in Hawaii

If convicted, she faces up to one year in prison on each charge, a term of supervised release, and a fine of up to $100,000.

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A 66-year-old Maui woman was charged Monday with two misdemeanor counts of unlawfully voting as an alien in federal elections, according to federal court records.

Remedios A. Alasaas of Kahului is scheduled to make her initial appearance Tuesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, Alasaas entered the United States in 2014 on an immigrant visa from the Philippines and later registered to vote. Prosecutors said she was not a U.S. citizen when she voted in the Nov. 8, 2022, general election for U.S. House and Senate races and again in the Aug. 10, 2024, primary election for president, vice president, and U.S. House and Senate races.

“On both occasions, Alasaas understood that she was not a citizen at the time that she cast her ballot,” U.S. Attorney Ken Sorenson said in a statement.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is investigating the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gregg Paris Yates is prosecuting it.

Federal law bars noncitizens from voting in federal elections, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Hawaii law requires voters to be U.S. citizens, Hawaii residents, and at least 18 years old.
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Virginia measles cases rise to 77, centered in Piedmont

Most infections involved unvaccinated people.

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Virginia’s measles count rose to 77 this year, with most cases concentrated in Central Virginia around Buckingham County, according to the Virginia Department of Health.

Most cases were among babies and children younger than 12.

During a visit to Virginia on Wednesday, U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommended measles vaccines as a key preventive measure.

Kennedy’s comments followed testimony he gave to Congress in late April. They marked a shift from his response during a measles outbreak in Texas last year, when he did not recommend vaccination and instead advised Americans to “do your own research.”

Kennedy said new measles cases were “happening all over the world.”

“At (the Center for Disease Control and Prevention), we encourage people to get their measles vaccination,” he added. “That’s the best way to prevent yourself from getting measles.”

Piedmont Health District Director Maria Almond said in an email that local health officials continued to recommend vaccination. Her district was responding to the area where most of the state’s cases were reported.

About a month ago, Virginia had about two dozen measles cases as infections also increased in other states. The rise prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue summer travel guidance encouraging vaccination and other preventive steps.
Virginia

Virginia localities seek school tax vote authority

Supporters said the authority is needed as aging buildings drive up repair costs, especially in rural divisions.

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School divisions in Mathews and other Virginia localities are seeking changes in state law that would let all localities ask voters to approve an additional local sales tax for school construction and maintenance.

Virginia law now allows only nine localities — Danville and the counties of Charlotte, Gloucester, Halifax, Henry, Mecklenburg, Northampton, Patrick, and Pittsylvania — to levy a 1% sales tax for school projects. Virginia’s Dillon Rule limits local powers to those granted by the General Assembly.

A 2021 Virginia Department of Education survey found more than half of Virginia schools are more than 50 years old, with replacement costs in the billions.

Former Gov. Glenn Youngkin vetoed similar bills in previous years, citing concerns about increasing Virginians’ tax burden and noting that lawmakers and his administration had already appropriated millions of dollars for school construction.

In Gloucester County, officials said revenue from its 1% tax likely helped support a $65 million high school renovation completed last summer, including roof, heating and cooling, electrical, plumbing, stormwater, generator, and security upgrades.

To place a referendum on the November ballot, lawmakers must adopt the language by June 29. The House was scheduled to meet June 18, and the Senate on June 22.
Hawaii, US

HHS cuts Hawaii fraud unit funds, state seeks review

The administration’s action followed comments from Vice President JD Vance on May 13, when he said Hawaii had failed to adequately police Medicaid fraud and warned that other Medicaid-related resources could be cut.

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Hawaii stood to lose about $3 million in annual federal funding for its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit after the Trump administration denied the unit federal certification, according to a letter sent Thursday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services inspector general.

In the letter to Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez, Inspector General March Bell said the unit had no criminal indictments or convictions for Medicaid fraud or patient abuse and neglect from 2022 to 2025. Bell wrote that without a federally certified unit, the state’s broader Medicaid funding could be at risk.

After the announcement, Hawaii’s Department of the Attorney General said it would ask the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to reconsider the decision. In a news release, the office said it “remains committed to protecting Medicaid beneficiaries, safeguarding public funds, and holding accountable those who commit fraud, abuse, or neglect.”

“We recognize the seriousness of the HHS’s concerns and are treating this matter with the urgency it deserves,” the department said. “The Department has mobilized additional personnel and resources from across multiple divisions to conduct a comprehensive review of the findings, prepare a formal response, and pursue all available avenues to preserve and strengthen Hawaii’s Medicaid fraud enforcement efforts. We intend to seek reconsideration of HHS’s decision and will continue working closely with our federal partners to address concerns and demonstrate the full scope of the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s work.”

Gov. Josh Green’s office said after discussions with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services that Hawaii’s Medicaid program “remains in good standing and that this action does not affect eligibility, benefits, provider payments, or federal Medicaid funding.”

Department of Human Services Director Joseph Campos II said, “The Medicaid program provides essential healthcare coverage to hundreds of thousands of Hawaii residents and we want our members, providers and community partners to know that their benefits and services will continue without interruption.”

Green also authorized creation of an independent Medicaid Fraud Strike Force within the Department of Human Services, which his office said will support Hawaii’s existing fraud unit.

More than 360,000 Hawaii residents are enrolled in Medicaid. Hawaii received $2.2 billion in federal Medicaid funds in 2024, according to the agency that advises Congress on healthcare spending.

Lopez has disputed the administration’s characterization, saying Hawaii recovered $14 million in civil cases since 2021. The state also charged two people with criminal health care fraud earlier this year.
Hawaii

Japan man gets prison for illegal gun-parts exports

A Japanese man was sentenced in Hawaii to a year and a day in prison for exporting more than 1,000 firearm parts without licenses.

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A 30-year-old Japanese man was sentenced Tuesday to one year and one day in federal prison after pleading guilty to exporting more than 1,000 firearm parts and tactical gear from the United States to Japan without required licenses.

U.S. District Judge Micah W.J. Smith also sentenced Shota Yamamoto to unsupervised release and a $100 special assessment. Yamamoto must forfeit 1,028 firearm parts and tactical gear, including 200 charging handles for AR-15 rifles, 45 Anderson Manufacturing AR-15 upper receivers, three Sig Sauer upper receivers, and two ballistic helmets.

Yamamoto pleaded guilty Jan. 22 to conspiracy to export goods from the United States to Japan without first obtaining required licenses from the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. He admitted in January that he helped establish an illegal supply chain for rifle parts and had faced up to 20 years in prison. He asked the court for a sentence of one year and one day.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Yamamoto used a Hawaii address to receive shipments from U.S. dealers of firearm components and accessories, then arranged to send them to Japan either in checked luggage or through a commercial shipper. Prosecutors said he exported or attempted to export more than 1,000 firearm components and accessories, including AR-15 lower receiver parts kits, upper receivers, magazines, and similar items, all of which required export licenses he did not have.

Yamamoto was charged Dec. 19 with conspiracy to violate the Export Control Reform Act, according to federal court records. He and Changmin Lee of South Korea were originally charged July 14 for their alleged roles in what prosecutors described as “an illicit smuggling scheme involving firearm components and accessories.” Court records say Lee has not returned to the United States.

Yamamoto told the court he wanted to make his Airsoft weapons look like actual assault rifles. He apologized, closed his business, and said he would not play Airsoft again. In a May 27 letter to Smith, written in English after he began learning the language at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu, Yamamoto said he was “ashamed of my crime.”
South Carolina, US

South Carolina taxes vapes, cuts heated tobacco tax

State financial analysts estimated the new vape tax will raise $14 million a year for Medicaid.

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A South Carolina law taking effect Oct. 1 will tax vapes and direct the revenue to Medicaid, as cigarette tax collections decline with fewer people smoking.

The law, signed by Gov. Henry McMaster two weeks ago, also cuts in half the tax on electronic cigarettes that use tobacco rather than liquid nicotine. The change prepares for sales of heated tobacco products that are not currently sold in South Carolina stores.

Starting Oct. 1, vapes will be taxed at 5 cents per milliliter, similar to rates in North Carolina and Georgia.

South Carolina’s cigarette tax remains 57 cents per pack of 20, unchanged since a 2010 law raised it by 50 cents and directed most of the revenue to the state’s share of Medicaid. The higher tax was followed by fewer South Carolinians smoking, but cigarette tax revenue also fell.

The state Medicaid agency expects $77 million in cigarette tax revenue for the fiscal year ending June 30, down from nearly $109 million five years ago. The state pays about 30% of Medicaid costs, with the federal government covering the rest. Rising health care costs will require about $100 million more in state tax revenue in 2026-27 to maintain current services and payments to doctors.

Under the 2010 law, cigarette tax revenue also provides $5 million a year for smoking cessation programs and $5 million a year for cancer research at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Lawmakers cut the tax on heated tobacco products on the assumption they cause fewer health problems than cigarettes. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration allows Philip Morris to market its IQOS device as a modified-risk tobacco product, meaning the company can say smokers who switch completely may reduce exposure to harmful chemicals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The FDA does not allow the company to claim the devices reduce the risk of tobacco-related disease.

Philip Morris briefly sold heated tobacco products in Charleston and Myrtle Beach in 2021 before a patent infringement lawsuit halted sales. The company now sells them in Florida, Texas, and Mississippi, according to its website.
South Carolina

Abbeville raid leads to 50 arrests, fraud charges

ICE said it was processing the 48 workers arrested and planned to deport those without legal authorization to remain in the country. Most were from Guatemala or Mexico.

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A raid at Burnstein von Seelen, a metal castings company in Abbeville, led to 50 arrests Wednesday, including two managers, state and federal officials said Thursday.

The State Grand Jury indicted the two managers on charges of identity fraud to obtain employment, criminal conspiracy, and forgery. Four other people were charged with forgery and identity fraud under allegations they created and sold false documents to workers; all but one had been arrested as of Thursday, officials said.

Attorney General Alan Wilson said the investigation, called Operation Ghost Story, began in October 2024 after local law enforcement asked the attorney general’s office and the State Law Enforcement Division for help. Wilson said investigators used undercover work and witness statements to conclude the plant’s managers hired workers multiple times under different names, suggesting they knew the documents were false.

Officials said the focus was on people accused of making and selling fraudulent hiring documents, not workers who used them. “It’s so easy for people to get those, so that’s the problem that we needed to fight,” said Creighton Waters, chief attorney overseeing the State Grand Jury.

Waters said officers could not ignore workers’ immigration status once they arrived at the plant around 9:30 a.m. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers joined state and local authorities to verify residency status and detain workers without proper documentation.
North Carolina

Beulaville man faces felony charges in Jacksonville

The suspect remained in the Onslow County Jail without bond. He was scheduled to appear in Onslow County District Court on June 5.

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A Beulaville man was charged after investigators said he entered a Jacksonville home with a knife and threatened two people inside.

Onslow County court records showed that Joseph Michael Ray, 41, was arrested June 4 in connection with an incident that investigators said happened May 29.

Authorities said Ray entered an occupied home on Shamrock Drive and assaulted two people with a kitchen knife. He was charged with first-degree burglary and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.

Court documents also said Ray violated a domestic violence protective order by entering the home and standing over a sleeping occupant while holding the knife.

In addition to the felony charges, Ray also faced charges of violating a domestic violence protective order and misdemeanor crime of domestic violence.

The charges resulted from an Onslow County Sheriff’s Office investigation. Arrest warrants were issued June 1 and served June 4.
North Carolina

Hurricanes rally in overtime, series heads to Vegas

The series is tied 1-1 and shifts to Vegas for Game 3 on Saturday at 8 p.m.

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Carolina rallied from a 2-0 deficit and beat Vegas 4-3 in overtime in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Logan Stankoven scored with 10 minutes left in the third period to cut into the deficit. Jordan Martinook added the tying goal, and captain Jordan Staal gave Carolina a 3-2 lead.

Mark Stone scored the equalizer for Vegas with 1 minute left to force overtime. Seth Jarvis then scored the game-winner, giving Carolina its first Stanley Cup Final win in 20 years.