(Wisconsin) The U.S. Justice Department recently released the results of a nationwide enforcement action to combat COVID fraud. That effort included 718 enforcement actions including federal criminal charges against 371 defendants for offenses related to over $836-million-dollars in alleged pandemic fraud.
Attorney General Merrick Garland says the Justice Department has seized over $1.4-billion in COVID relief funds that criminals had stolen and charged over 3,000 defendants with crimes in federal districts across the country.
Criminal charges were filed against 371 defendants, and 119 defendants pleaded guilty or were convicted. Over $57-million in court-ordered restitution was imposed, 117 civil matters occurred, with over $10.4-million-dollars in judgements.
Prosecutors worked with law enforcement to secure forfeitures of over $231.4-million. Many of the cases in the enforcement action involve charges related to pandemic unemployment insurance benefit fraud and fraud against the two largest pandemic Small Business Administration programs: the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
