Within the past year, the Justice Department has charged over 474 people who have used more than $569 million in COVID-19 scams.
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The Justice Department said in a statement that they have charged 120 people who fraudulently used the Paycheck Protection Program, also known as the PPP loan, to fund their lavish lifestyles. The Small Business Administration has regulated the taxpayer-subsidized loan program and the Department said there has been little oversight before officials showed concern about how the funds were being distributed.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the Department is sending a clear message by charging those who used the pandemic as a way to take advantage of the system. “The impact of the department’s work to date sends a clear and unmistakable message to those who would exploit a national emergency to steal taxpayer-funded resources from vulnerable individuals and small businesses. We are committed to protecting the American people and the integrity of the critical lifelines provided for them by Congress, and we will continue to respond to this challenge,” he said.
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The Department also said there is a similar connection to the PPP loan scam with the number of cases increasing involving unemployment fraud. More than 140 people have been charged since the pandemic started since those charged have fake identities and claimed unemployment in different states.
SOURCE: The Philadelphia Inquirer