U.S. ATTORNEY’S STIMULUS FRAUD TASK FORCE
TO MONITOR FOR MISUSE OF FUNDS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha today announced the formation of a Stimulus Fraud Prevention Task Force. The multi-jurisdictional task force consists of more than a dozen federal and state government and law enforcement agencies, which will monitor and investigate allegations of misuse of federal stimulus funds provided to Rhode Island.  
         

   “With well over a billion dollars in stimulus funding expected to flow into Rhode Island, there are some who may look at this as an easy opportunity to misuse or steal taxpayer dollars,” said U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha. He added, “The coordinated efforts of this task force to monitor complaints of misuse and abuse, combined with the potential for criminal or civil prosecution, will help ensure that stimulus monies reach the intended targets: Rhode Islanders who need jobs and the state’s economy.”
           

 U.S. Attorney Neronha created the Stimulus Fraud Prevention Task Force as an outgrowth of the U.S. Department of Justice’s commitment to prevent fraud, waste and abuse, and to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes.
         

   Assistant U.S. Attorney Dulce Donovan, the office’s Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) coordinator, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly, a criminal prosecutor with an expertise in prosecuting financial crimes, will co-chair the Stimulus Fraud Prevention Task Force. The task force will hold its first meeting on Thursday.

Contact: 401-709-5357
USARI.Media@usdoj.gov