Active Referrals · 148 Cases Jurisdictions: WA · CA
Public Records · Open Source Est. 2025
Independent · Non-Partisan Citizen Investigation  ·  Public Data

What the public
can see — and
what it cannot.

LJ Analytics is the independent investigative practice of Jeffrey D. Littlejohn. Using only publicly accessible government data, open-source records, and purpose-built analytical tools, the work documents how public money moves — and where the accountability infrastructure breaks down.

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148 Providers Identified// $59.7M Estimated Excess// 53 Cases at CRITICAL Tier// 46 Multi-Alias Billing Networks// 4 Confirmed Dual-Subsidy Cases// 10.47× Highest Capacity Ratio// 11 Fiscal Years Reviewed// 148 Providers Identified// $59.7M Estimated Excess// 53 Cases at CRITICAL Tier// 46 Multi-Alias Billing Networks// 4 Confirmed Dual-Subsidy Cases// 10.47× Highest Capacity Ratio// 11 Fiscal Years Reviewed//
§ 01 / The Signal Scale

A single citizen,
four months of work.

One person, working alone with public payment data and DCYF licensing records, produced the following findings — a partial screen of the King County provider universe, referred in full to federal and state authorities in April 2026.

Finding · I
$160.3M

In total subsidy payments reviewed across 148 flagged providers, fiscal years 2016 through 2026.

Finding · II
$59.7M

Estimated excess above what licensed capacity could legitimately justify under state reimbursement rates.

Finding · III
10.47×

Highest confirmed single-vendor billing ratio — an 8-slot licensed family home averaging $128,962/month.

Finding · IV
46

Multi-alias billing networks confirmed — operators fragmenting receipts across multiple vendor names.

“Any person who has a computer,
the internet, the will
can find this stuff.”
— Jeffrey D. Littlejohn · Lynden, Washington · April 2026
§ 02 / The Work Dossiers

Active
investigations.

Each file below documents a self-contained investigation: the question, the public data used, the patterns found, and the referrals made. All work is conducted independently, without institutional affiliation, using publicly accessible records only.

File No. WA-2026-148 April 2026 · Active
Washington State · King County

The CCAP Anomalous Payment Analysis.

A four-month structured investigation of 148 licensed childcare providers receiving payments mathematically inconsistent with their DCYF-licensed capacity. Built on OFM vendor payment data and the DCYF Child Care Check licensing portal. Referred in full to the Vice President's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, the DOJ, HHS-OIG, IRS-CI, the U.S. Attorney's Office for Western Washington, the Washington AG, the State Auditor, and DCYF.

148Providers
$59.7MExcess Est.
53Critical Tier
Read the published account
File No. CA-2026-4B April 2026 · Published
California · Statewide Structural Analysis

Who Watches
the Money?

A methodological exposé on transparency and accountability in California's child care subsidy system — documenting what the public can and cannot see about roughly $4 billion in annual state and federal spending. Grounded in a ZIP-code-level case study of San Diego's 92105, with comparative analysis of the Minnesota fraud prosecutions and concrete reform recommendations for citizens, journalists, and policymakers.

~$4BAnnual Spend
~40KProviders
12Data Sources
Request full exposé
§ 03 / Published Writing

Dispatches from
the work.

Plain-language writing on the investigations — how they were conducted, what was found, and what the findings mean. Published on Substack as DoubleSearch.

New work, straight to
your inbox.

Subscribe to DoubleSearch on Substack for new investigations, methodology walkthroughs, and findings from ongoing work — published as they're ready, not on a schedule.

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§ 04 / How Method

Transparent by
construction.

Every finding rests on data any citizen can retrieve, math any auditor can verify, and a documented chain of evidence from source to claim. The methodology is itself the product.

The investigative spine is built from scratch. A structured six-stage toolkit governs case intake, payment reconstruction, capacity verification, entity investigation, pattern scoring, and referral or closure. A parallel workbook holds payment ledgers, verification records, network maps, and evidence indexes for every case.

The core metric is the AMP/SIT ratio — average monthly payment against the Subsidy Implied Threshold, the mathematical ceiling of what a provider's licensed capacity could legitimately generate. Any ratio above 1.0 warrants attention; above 1.2 on a twelve-month basis triggers formal flagging; above 3.0 demands explanation.

AI tools assist with calculation, cross-referencing, and document drafting — never with determination. Every factual finding, every case disposition, and every referral decision reflects the judgment of the human investigator. No non-public data is used. No proprietary records. No whistleblower disclosures. The work is reproducible.

01

Case Opening

Provider universe is built from public payment exports. Each case is triage-bucketed by score band; highest-risk cases advance first.

02

Payment Reconstruction

Eleven fiscal years of vendor payments are classified, reconciled, and cross-referenced across every known billing name for each operator.

03

Capacity Verification

DCYF-licensed capacity is verified against Child Care Check records. Where open-source verification is exhausted, a Public Records Request under RCW 42.56 is filed.

04

Entity Investigation

Tier-2 directory stack + SOS business registry resolves LLC entities to personal operators, maps shared addresses, phones, and registered agents.

05

Pattern Scoring

Composite fraud score (0–100+) weighting ratio intensity, duration, dollar volume, and verification status. Bands drive referral routing.

06

Referral & Closure

Referral packages are routed by tier: OFA + HHS-OIG + DCYF for CRITICAL, OFA + DCYF for HIGH, monitor or close for lower tiers.

§ 05 / Data Sources

Public records,
end to end.

No proprietary databases. No paid intelligence products. Every source below is accessible to any resident with an internet connection.

OFM
WA Office of Financial Management
Vendor payments · FY2016–2026
DCYF
Child Care Check Portal
License · Capacity · Compliance
CCFS
WA Secretary of State
Corp & Charities Filing System
CCLD
CA Dept. of Social Services
Licensing facility search
SCO
CA State Controller
Open data · Vendor pay
CHHS
CA Health & Human Services
Open data portal
USA
USASpending.gov
Federal award database
OIG
Federal IG Reports
HHS · USDA · GAO archives
FAC
Federal Audit Clearinghouse
Single Audit reports
LAO
Legislative Analyst's Office
CA program-level analysis
AUD
State Auditor Reports
WA · CA program reviews
PRR
Public Records Requests
RCW 42.56 · CA CPRA
§ 06 / Who Profile

About the
investigator.

Jeffrey D. Littlejohn is a private citizen and resident of Whatcom County, Washington, who became concerned about the misuse of public funds in state childcare subsidy programs and began, without institutional support or compensation, to investigate.

He is not a professional investigator, forensic accountant, or attorney. He makes no determination of fraud. The patterns his work documents constitute indicators that, in his analysis, rise to the level of reasonable suspicion warranting formal review by the agencies with the authority — and the responsibility — to act. The ultimate determination rests exclusively with the receiving agencies, prosecutors, and the courts.

The work is offered in good faith and in the public interest. He has no financial stake in the outcome of any investigation or prosecution that may result.

Principle · I

Every source is public. Every method is reproducible. Every calculation can be checked by any auditor willing to pull the same files.

Principle · II

No claim of fraud — only documented patterns, mathematical thresholds, and referrals to the appropriate authorities.

Principle · III

AI assists; it does not decide. Human judgment governs every finding, every disposition, every conclusion.

Principle · IV

Transparency is the product. The methodology, the scoring, the data sources — all are available for review.

§ 07 / Get in touch

For journalists,
investigators,
and the genuinely curious.

Reports available for review by receiving agencies upon request. Journalists working on related investigations are welcome to reach out for methodology walkthroughs, data references, or source verification. No PR pitches, no vendor solicitations.

Press Inquiries Agency Requests Research Collaboration Tips & Leads