SCAD Worker Misclassification
SCAD's Pre-College Assistants — student workers who help supervise prospective students during summer programs — were originally offered hourly employee positions, then told weeks before starting that their roles had been converted to independent contractor positions paying a lower flat stipend, with no overtime and a gag clause prohibiting them from speaking to the media. Documents obtained by WTOC Investigates showed the job duties were virtually unchanged from the original offer, leading an employment attorney to say SCAD may be misclassifying the workers in violation of federal labor law — likely to avoid payroll tax obligations. SCAD declined to comment.
PIT for Pay
A follow-up to WTOC Investigates' "PIT for Pay" series, this report revealed that Georgia's Office of the Commissioner of Insurance opened a formal investigation into the scandal after WTOC's original reporting. It also introduced a new victim: a woman whose car was PIT maneuvered by a trooper while she was standing outside her workplace — who then received $25,000 from her insurance company despite telling her at the scene that she wasn't at fault. Her premiums rose as a result, and she had no idea she'd been sued until WTOC contacted her. An insurance expert noted that fraudulent claims raise costs for all consumers, not just those directly targeted.
Crashes with Cops
A data-driven investigation revealed that Savannah Police Department officers are involved in crashes at more than double the rate of Atlanta Police Department officers — despite Savannah being a fraction of the size. Between 2022 and 2025, SPD was involved in 385 preventable crashes, and the City of Savannah paid out nearly $4 million to crash victims since 2019. The investigation centered on Luther Roberts, a motorcyclist who lost his leg after an officer struck him while speeding more than 40 miles over the limit in a no-passing zone. That officer received a 40-hour suspension, completed a diversion program, and went on to work for another law enforcement agency.
Beside Betrayal
More than half of Savannah-area nursing homes are rated below average or much below average by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with 120 citations issued to area facilities since the start of 2024. At the center of the investigation is Riverview Health and Rehabilitation Center, where a family contends their mother died from neglect after developing severe, untreated bedsores during what was supposed to be a short-term rehabilitation stay. Federal inspection records also show Riverview was cited for a nurse physically striking a resident, and for failing to protect cognitively impaired residents from sexual and verbal abuse. The investigation raised broader questions about chronic understaffing at Georgia nursing homes, which rank among the most understaffed in the nation.
Coastal State Prison
Anonymous workers and inmates at Coastal State Prison described conditions that mirrored findings from a 2024 U.S. Department of Justice investigation concluding that Georgia prisons violate the 8th Amendment by failing to protect inmates from violence and neglect. Sources described routine beatings by staff, extended lockdowns lasting over a week without access to showers or rehabilitation programs, black mold and pest infestations, crumbling infrastructure, and the withholding of food as punishment. Records obtained for the investigation showed the facility spent over $5,000 on pest control in a six-month period while reporting no records of mold remediation at all. The Department of Corrections and the prison warden did not respond to requests for comment.