Justice Department Announces Results of Nationwide COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Action

“Combating all types of fraud is a top Justice Department priority. That is especially true when the fraud involves exploitation of the suffering of others. Trillions of dollars in pandemic relief went to those in need, to help Americans and their businesses surmount a once-in-a-generation public health emergency. But there were some in the United States and abroad who exploited the crisis to engage in benefit fraud, to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars, according to recent data.”

-Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco

“Last September...the Department of Justice launched three interagency COVID Fraud Strike Forces – in Maryland, South Florida, and California...this summer, all three Strike Forces, working with over 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department’s Criminal and Civil Divisions, and our investigative partners, collaborated on a cross-country COVID fraud enforcement sweep...I am pleased to announce that, during this 3-month sweep, we undertook more than 700 enforcement actions involving over $830 million in fraud. And as of today, we have already seized more than $200 million through criminal and civil forfeiture actions.”

-Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco

“Our three COVID Fraud Enforcement Strike Force teams – operating out of U.S. Attorneys’ Offices in the Southern District of Florida, the District of Maryland, and a joint effort between the Central and Eastern Districts of California – have been critical to the successful enforcement actions announced today...I’m very pleased to announce that today we are launching two additional Strike Forces, one in Colorado and one in New Jersey, underscoring our commitment to pursue pandemic relief fraud around the country.”

-Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco

"But our work is far from done. We will continue to prosecute those who have committed pandemic relief fraud, at home and abroad. We will also continue to aggressively deploy our forfeiture and restitution tools in every case to recover stolen funds. Our focus on recovering stolen funds won’t be thwarted by fraudsters who try to hide or spend those funds before being prosecuted. We will seek judicial orders requiring convicted defendants to pay back every stolen dollar – and we have 20 years to realize those recoveries."

-Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco