Journalist and investigator based in Buffalo.
Buffalo, N.Y.
Joined June 2009
- Tweets4.9K
- Following1.1K
- Followers5.4K
- Likes5.2K
Huge investigation by @USATODAY of cops' illegal use of Flock cameras to track ex-partners and others has already led to arrests in multiple states.
Great work by @kennyjacoby, @a_fast and @JackLemnus.
usatoday.com/story/news/nati…
While local media seems perpetually on the edge of funding crises, journalists in #Buffalo still produce some fine work. Here are some recent stories that stood out to me by @Grantrashley @MackenzieShuman @news4buffalo @JDale_Shoemaker @ghkelly1969.
charliereports.substack.com/…
Buffalo Bishop Michael Fisher cleared Fr. Joseph Gatto, a controversial priest who has been accused of sexual misconduct by multiple men, to return to ministry after an internal investigation found the most recent claims “unsubstantiated.”
charliereports.substack.com/…
For some context on the many allegations that have been lodged against Gatto (and why the church's internal process was always likely to lead to this result), check out my analysis from March.
charliereports.substack.com/…
The diocese said it did substantiate allegations against a different priest, Fr. Patrick O’Keefe, but it appears that O'Keefe will keep his job.
He was accused of "sexual harassment of adults, as well as inappropriate workplace and ministerial conduct.”
substack.com/home/post/p-209…
NY Assemblyman @patburke142 says the NY State Police should launch a "comprehensive criminal investigation" of the @buffalodiocese.
"For years, we've been told...that the people responsible were gone and the institution had changed. The arrest of Fr. Nowak proves that's not true," Burke says.
Read his letter to NYSP:
charliereports.substack.com/…
NY Assembly Member Pat Burke is calling on New York State Police to launch “comprehensive criminal investigation into Buffalo Diocese.”
Comes in wake of federal charges against the Rev. Jeffrey Nowak.
Some background:
open.substack.com/pub/charli…
Excellent, important story by @JDale_Shoemaker on government surveillance.
🚨 New investigation:
Police are tracking drivers’ movements nearly everywhere they go in the Buffalo area.
At least 211 license plate readers confirmed in Erie County, tho the # could be 300.
& cops searched via Flock 218,000 plates Jan. 2025-present:
investigativepost.org/2026/0…
I have been a working journalist for 15 years, with most of that time spent as an investigative reporter looking into shady things.
But I have never attended a court hearing like Monday's hearing about Diocese of Buffalo priest Jeff Nowak.
substack.com/home/post/p-207…
This is the shirt that arrested Diocese of Buffalo priest Jeffrey Nowak was wearing last week as he appeared in shackles in federal court on child pornography charges. You truly cannot make this stuff up.
More: charliereports.substack.com/…
What a @BTPMNews story by @Grantrashley on how close the FBI was to arresting then-Mayor Byron Brown on corruption charges.
They were surveilling him and had cooperation of City Hall aides, documents show, but opted not to because of Supreme Court ruling involving Lou Ciminelli that narrowed definition of corruption.
btpm.org/local/2026-07-09/ne…
The evidence facing Jeffrey Nowak, a @BuffaloDiocese priest who I first wrote about in 2019, is especially vile. Here is a look at the criminal complaint filed in court on Wednesday.
charliereports.substack.com/…
Huge news. Finally, a priest in the @BuffaloDiocese is charged with a crime.
Former Bishop Richard Malone once called Jeffrey Nowak a “sick puppy” but allowed him to minister until we published our story @wkbw in 2019.
audacy.com/wben/news/local/p…
Last year, I broke a story about a Greek Orthodox priest who was accused of stealing hundreds of thousands from Annunciation Church in #Buffalo.
Now the feds have charged him with bank fraud. From the complaint:
"The family of six took regular extravagant first-class vacations to London, Greece and Paris annually. In or around 2019, the family took a six-week vacation to Europe."
substack.com/home/post/p-197…
This week, a reporting project I worked on with @SeanMickey7 at WGRZ received two national journalism awards for investigative reporting.
The investigation won a national award from @IRE_NICAR as well as First Place in the National Headliner Awards for continuing coverage of a single news event.
substacktools.com/sharex/zOJ…
Charlie Specht retweeted
Congratulations to #BonasJSchool grads @Charlie_Reports and @SeanMickey7 for earning a National Headliner Award for their investigative reporting @WGRZ!
headlinerawards.org/2026-tv-…
In today’s update:
-My appearance on BTPM NPR with @ryanzradio.
-An update on my post from last week about intimidation and harassment.
-Some solid watchdog work from Investigative Post about government secrecy.
substack.com/home/post/p-195…
Some good news & bad news:
GOOD: @SeanMickey7 and I found out we won a national award for our "Shielded From Accountability" investigation of the Granville hit-run coverup.
One of the judges told me they appreciated "the persistence you showed in the face of some personal threats."
BAD: I am getting harassed/stalked again by someone who is probably a cop with Buffalo or Erie County.
Phone calls were made spreading lies about me on the same day as Granville's retirement party, which I wrote about. They probably hatched the plan there.
I'm assessing my options but will probably have to hire a lawyer again to handle this. Just a sad reality of being an investigative reporter in 2026.
I don't have money for this and the only means I have of raising it is asking people to subscribe to my Substack, which is not a lot but it helps.
Going to have more updates on this but make them available only to paid subscribers, because whoever is doing this clearly is reading my free Substack posts based on some of the information they gave.
There is a link below, and again, I appreciate it.
charliereports.substack.com/…
State Sen. Jeremy Zellner is criticizing Sheriff John Garcia, saying the recent oath of office controversy is "the latest in a series of failures that raise significant concerns about him.”
But as Erie County Democratic chair, Zellner failed to field a candidate to challenge Garcia. Shortly after that decision was announced, he accepted a $5,000 campaign contribution from the sheriff.
Read more: charliereports.substack.com/…
