U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy U.S. Attorney General Lisa Monaco are leading the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Fraud Enforcement Task Force at the Justice Department in Washington, U.S., on March 10, 2022.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
In a sweeping nationwide operation, federal law enforcement agencies have charged hundreds of individuals involved in Covid-19 fraud, recovering over $231 million out of the targeted $830 million, as announced by the Justice Department on Wednesday.
The DOJ has pressed criminal charges against 371 individuals, with more than 60 defendants having links to violent crime and transnational criminal networks, according to a release from the department. During a roundtable meeting with law enforcement officials, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco revealed that 30 members of a street gang in Wisconsin had utilized money from an unemployment fraud scheme for activities such as soliciting murder for hire and acquiring firearms and drugs.
Monaco also highlighted a case involving four individuals who were charged in an international pandemic relief fraud and money laundering scheme associated with Nigeria.
The majority of those targeted in this operation are accused of fraudulently applying for assistance through government relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, which were designed to support small businesses during the pandemic, as mentioned in a DOJ press release.
Back in June, a government watchdog estimated that fraudsters might have stolen over $200 billion, which accounted for 17% of the $1.2 trillion disbursed in total loans intended to aid struggling businesses.
The nationwide operation involved three strike teams, located in California, Maryland, and South Florida, collaborating with 50 U.S. attorneys and more than a dozen law enforcement partners for a period of three months from May to July.
In their continued efforts to recover stolen pandemic relief funds, the DOJ has announced the establishment of two additional strike teams in Colorado and New Jersey, as disclosed by Monaco.
Monaco further stated, “We will seek judicial orders requiring convicted defendants to repay every dollar stolen, and we have a 20-year timeframe to fulfill these recoveries.”
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland initiated a task force in May 2021 to target individuals who fraudulently obtained Covid relief funds. As per the DOJ, the group’s diligent work has resulted in criminal charges against over 3,000 individuals and the recovery of more than $1.4 billion in stolen Covid relief funds so far.
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