(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Federal authorities unleashed a sweeping crackdown on COVID-19 fraud, ensnaring 371 defendants, among them alleged gang members.
The Justice Department said on Wednesday that the charges revolved around federal criminal offenses tied to a staggering $836 million in pandemic relief fund fraud, including the violent gang members who allegedly exploited the funds to hire hitmen.
Sixty-three of the accused individuals are tied to violent gangs, allegedly employing pandemic funds for activities including a murder-for-hire scheme. An additional 25 defendants are believed to be linked to international crime networks.
In addition to gangbangers and international crime thugs, 17% of loans cashed out from the COVID scheme were pilfered by common fraudsters, the New York Post reported.
The stolen taxpayer loot was blown on Lamborghinis, vacation homes, private jet flights and Cartier jewelry, according to a report from the Small Business Administration’s Office published last month.
The DOJ in a statement said it has arrested over 3,000 individuals with violations of federal law related to fraud, and Attorney General Merrick Garland claimed the charges are far from over, assuming he can find time between cases prosecuting former President Donald Trump.
“This latest action, involving over 300 defendants and over $830 million in alleged COVID-19 fraud, should send a clear message: the COVID-19 public health emergency may have ended, but the Justice Department’s work to identify and prosecute those who stole pandemic relief funds is far from over,” Garland asserted.
The charges involve a wide range of offenses, going from fraudulent unemployment payout claims to scams targeting the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans, infamously known as “PPP.”
The DOJ announcement also revealed the establishment of two new COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Forces. Deputy Attorney General Lisa O. Monaco, speaking during a press release on Wednesday, asserted that the federal government’s efforts will bring accused perpetrators to justice.
