Nearly $100 billion stolen from CARES Act relief program.
The Secret Service has appointed an assistant special agent in efforts to hunt down criminals who are responsible for the theft of nearly $100 billion in COVID-19 relief funds, primarily taken through the use of fraudulent relief applications.
The Secret Service said approximately $23 billion in fraudulently obtained funds have already been recovered as a result of investigations into unemployment insurance and Small Business Administration fraud. Those investigations have led to the arrests of about 100 people suspected of defrauding the government.
“The Secret Service currently has more than 900 active criminal investigations into fraud specific to pandemic-related relief funds,” Special Agent Roy Dotson said. “That’s a combination of pandemic benefits and all the other benefits programs, too. Every state has been hit, some harder than others. The Secret Service is hitting the ground running, trying to recover everything we can, including funds stolen from both federal and state programs.”
The Justice Department said last week that its fraud section had prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases involving the Paycheck Protection Program funds. These numbers were not part of the Secret Service report.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) is only part of the federal relief that has been provided as part of a multi-trillion-dollar legislative push to stimulate the economy.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For the Secret Service investigators seeking out criminal elements who have fraudulently taken funds from the COVID-19 relief.
- For Justice Department officials as they pursue cases against those who have committed fraud.
Sources: PBS, Washington Examiner
