Investigative reporter
Sam Tabachnik
Sam Tabachnik is an investigative reporter for The Denver Post. His projects have included deep-dives into the world of illicit antiquities, abuses of migrant workers and unconstitutional practices of Colorado municipal courts.
Before joining The Post, Sam helped produce shows for NBC News, launched digital projects for The Washington Post and covered sports and arts for the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Featured Stories

Unenforced Labor: An investigation into unsafe working conditions in Colorado agriculture
In this three-part special report, The Denver Post uncovers chronic abuses in Colorado’s agricultural supply chain – and the lack of action from state and federal regulators.

How Pueblo weaponizes contempt of court to inflate jail time for minor crimes
Pueblo city judges have sent people to jail for months on charges that in other Colorado courts are punished by one or two days in jail. Experts call it "draconian"...

Looted: Stolen relics, laundered art and a Colorado scholar’s role in the illicit antiquities trade
In this three-part report, The Denver Post investigates the role of Emma Bunker, as "The Scholar," in an illicit antiquities smuggling operation that left Cambodian temples plundered for big money.
All Stories

Douglas County school board majority sought to oust superintendent — but didn’t tell the rest of the board, members allege
The president and vice president of the Douglas County School District Board of Education issued an undisclosed ultimatum to the district superintendent to resign or otherwise be voted out --...

16-year-old charged in connection with Nome Park shooting outside Aurora Central High School
Daniel Ruelas, 16, was charged with 16 counts of attempted first-degree murder, three counts of first-degree assault and one count of possession of a handgun by a juvenile, the 18th...

10 arrested in connection with 2020 motorcycle gang gun battle in Arvada
The 10 suspects were apprehended across four states from Florida to California, Arvada police announced in a news release. They face a myriad of charges including first-degree murder, attempted first-degree...

Police ID serial killer more than 40 years after murders of 4 women in Denver, Adams County
Denver police identified Joe Michael Ervin -- now dead -- as the man who authorities believe killed three women and a teenage girl between 1978 and 1981.

Horrifying funeral home allegations prompt bill that would give Colorado regulators more power to inspect
The bill has been shaped by two horrifying stories of alleged funeral home malpractice in Colorado, prompting lawmakers in their jurisdictions to take action.

Man shot and killed at Lakewood motel Monday
A 29-year-old man was killed Monday morning after being shot at a Lakewood motel.

Woman arrested on murder charge in Aurora apartment fire that killed 5-year-old boy
Police investigating a deadly apartment fire in Aurora arrested a 37-year-old woman on suspicion of first-degree murder Monday, alleging she intentionally started the overnight blaze that killed a 5-year-old boy...

Why they walked out: King Soopers workers on life on the margins
These are the workers of King Soopers. More than 8,000 of them — encompassing 68 stores across metro Denver — walked off the job on Jan. 12, striking for livable...

Vail Resorts is threatening immigration status of foreign investors in Mount Snow project, Vermont regulators allege
Vermont regulators this month issued a cease-and-desist order to Vail Resorts, alleging that the Colorado-based ski giant is reneging on an agreement with roughly 30 immigrant investors that could lead...

Most Colorado mobile home owners have never heard of oversight program designed to protect them, new report shows
The "Mobile Home Park Oversight Program Annual Report," published Tuesday, represents the most thorough look yet at the state of Colorado's beefed-up Mobile Home Park Act, which introduced in 2020...