A wide-ranging U.S. probe into under-the-radar information links between Washington and Wall Street snared three hedge fund executives, a D.C. consultant and a government employee, who are accused of profiting off inside information about changes in health-care regulations. The prosecution takes aim at the political intelligence industry in Washington, in which consultants -- often former government employees themselves -- nurture ex-colleagues for information about potentially market-moving decisions, and relay that to hedge fund traders and others in exchange for lucrative consulting fees. That’s what prosecutors in Manhattan accused three partners at Deerfield Management, a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services...