Federal authorities in Minnesota have detained seven defendants and confiscated their cellphones after a juror reported an attempted bribe involving $120,000 in cash to influence the outcome of a trial. The defendants are accused of stealing over $40 million from a pandemic food program meant for children. The incident led to the replacement of two jurors and has intensified the investigation into one of the largest COVID-19-related fraud cases in the U.S.
Patrick Parker Walsh, a Florida businessman, has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, which he used to purchase a private island in Florida. Walsh is one of thousands of thieves who potentially plundered over $280 billion in federal COVID-19 aid, representing close to 10% of the $4.3 trillion disbursed by the U.S. government to mitigate the economic devastation caused by the pandemic. The stolen funds were used to finance luxurious lifestyles, including purchases of houses, luxury watches, diamond jewelry, expensive cars, strip club visits, and vacations. The scale and scope of the fraud are immense, making it challenging for investigators to catch every crook. However, the U.S. Justice Department has created special strike forces to hunt down COVID-19 aid thieves and recover stolen funds.
Patrick Parker Walsh, a Florida businessman, has been sentenced to five and a half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds, which he used to purchase a private island in Florida. Walsh is one of thousands of thieves who potentially plundered over $280 billion in federal COVID-19 aid, representing close to 10% of the total disbursed by the U.S. government. The stolen funds were used to finance lavish lifestyles, including luxury watches, expensive cars, strip club visits, and vacations. Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged with COVID-19 relief fraud, and about $1.4 billion in stolen aid has been seized.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged over 300 individuals in a nationwide sweep targeting more than $830 million in Covid-19 fraud. The DOJ filed criminal charges against 371 people and recovered $231 million in stolen money, with some defendants having connections to violent crime and transnational criminal networks. The charges include fraudulent applications for assistance through the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. The DOJ has established strike teams and task forces to recover stolen pandemic relief funds, resulting in criminal charges against over 3,000 individuals and the seizure of over $1.4 billion so far.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged 371 individuals and launched two new COVID-19 fraud strike forces, as part of efforts to combat the alleged theft of over $800 million in coronavirus aid. Out of the defendants, 119 have pleaded guilty or been convicted, with over $57 million in court-ordered restitution imposed. Additionally, more than $231.4 million has been forfeited. The DOJ has now seized over $1.4 billion in COVID-19 relief funds and charged over 3,000 defendants. Two new strike forces have been launched in Colorado and New Jersey, adding to the existing three in California, Florida, and Maryland.
The Justice Department has announced the results of a nationwide enforcement action against COVID-19 fraud, revealing 718 enforcement actions, including federal criminal charges against 371 defendants, for offenses related to over $836 million in alleged COVID-19 fraud. The department has seized over $1.4 billion in COVID-19 relief funds and charged over 3,000 defendants with crimes. Two additional COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Forces have been launched in Colorado and New Jersey. The cases involve various types of fraud, including pandemic unemployment insurance benefit fraud and fraud against relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program.
