Hundreds are charged with stealing $830 million in COVID relief funds
Justice Department announces charges against hundreds of alleged COVID-19 fraudsters
Hundreds of people have been charged with the theft of more than $830 million in COVID-19 emergency aid
In a recent article published by Fortune.com, hundreds of people have been charged with the theft of more than $830 million in COVID-19 emergency aid following a nationwide operation conducted by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Justice Department announced Wednesday.
According to DOJ, more than 60 of the defendants have alleged involvement to pandemic aid fraud to organized crime, including members of a criminal gang accused of using pandemic aid fraud to pay for a murder.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement that the COVID-19 public health emergency may have ended, but the DOJ’s work to identify and prosecute those who are involved in pandemic aid fraud is far from over. He added that over 300 defendants and over $830 million are involved in the alleged pandemic aid fraud. Their three-month operation, which ended in July, resulted in more than 300 people being charged in the pandemic aid fraud.
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Most of the money in the pandemic aid fraud was grabbed from three large pandemic-relief initiatives designed to help small businesses and unemployed workers survive the pandemic. According to the new Justice Department, nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged with pandemic aid fraud, and about $1.4 billion pandemic aid fraud money has been seized.
The murder-for-hire case involved in pandemic aid fraud, alleged members of a Milwaukee gang known as the Wild 100s, stole millions of dollars as part of the pandemic aid fraud for unemployment assistance, and the money to pay to have a person killed. The federal indictment identifies the victim in the Wisconsin case only by the initials N.B. and doesn’t specify how much of the pandemic aid fraud was used to finance the killing.
Justice Department also said on Wednesday, it was creating more strike forces to combat pandemic aid fraud in Colorado and New Jersey, joining those already in operation in California, Florida and Maryland.
