The South Florida U.S. Attorney's Office is selected to head a COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Team to combat pandemic relief fraud.
According to a Sept. 15 news release by the Department of Justice, the Southern District of Florida's U.S. Attorney's Office leads one of three COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams nationwide because it is a national leader in pandemic relief fraud prosecutions. The district has charged 23 COVID-19 relief fraud cases with a total scheme value of more than $150 million in the last few weeks alone.
“Over the years, the South Florida U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners have developed robust domestic and international anti-fraud and money laundering practices,” U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez said in the news release. “Our experience with these data-driven financial prosecutions allowed us to launch an early and aggressive attack on COVID-19 relief fraud by holding accountable those who tried to capitalize on an unprecedented crisis. We are proud to have been selected to lead one of three COVID-19 Fraud Strike Force Teams and look forward to continuing to advance this important Department of Justice effort.”
The release reported the force will focus on many fronts including Paycheck Protection Program fraud, Economic Injury Disaster Loans fraud and unemployment insurance fraud.
“These Strike Force Teams will build on the Department’s historic enforcement efforts to deter, detect and disrupt pandemic fraud wherever it occurs," Attorney General Merrick B. Garland said in the release. "Since the start of this pandemic, the Justice Department has seized over $1.2 billion in relief funds that criminals were attempting to steal and charged over 1,500 defendants with crimes in federal districts across the country, but our work is far from over. The Department will continue to work relentlessly to combat pandemic fraud and hold accountable those who perpetrate it.”
According to the release, joining the prosecutors on the Strike Force include agents from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General; Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General; Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General; Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General; FBI; U.S. Secret Service; Homeland Security Investigations; Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigations; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; Federal Reserve System Office of Inspector General; Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration; and U.S. Coast Guard Investigative Service.
The Strike Force was developed by the Department of Justice to supplement the division's current fraud-related COVID-19 efforts, the release reported.
