A former assistant to an acting intelligence chief for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement pleaded guilty yesterday for her part in an unfolding travel voucher kickback scheme that defrauded the government of hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Some of the most severely disabled Californians are cared for at state-run facilities. But a months-long investigation has uncovered a lack of accountability for reported abuse at the centers.

California's developmental centers maintain their own police force. But hundreds of abuse cases remain unsolved — even when patients die under suspicious circumstances.

At California’s institutions for the developmentally disabled, a poorly trained and hamstrung police force bungles investigations into physical abuse.