COVID Frauds of the Week: DOJ Continues to Crack Down on PPP Fraudsters

As of this week, the Small Business Administration has disbursed over $700 billion in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans to small businesses and non-profits. There are over $100 billion in remaining appropriations, with additional appropriations likely to follow thereafter. With numbers like these, the program has become a magnet for fraudsters seeking to profit from the pandemic. The DOJ has been actively going after PPP fraud; here’s a summary of...

COVID Fraud a Year on from the Onset of the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has raged across the world over the last year, causing widespread harm both to humanity and the economy. Even in these trying times, fraudsters have not let up and have found ways to exploit the pandemic for personal gain. As we move into the one-year anniversary of the pandemic starting with the United States we look back on the ways programs intended for relief have been exploited,...

COVID Frauds of the Week: The DOJ Drumbeat Goes On, with Help from an Investigative Journalist

This past week, the drumbeat of government enforcement actions to address rampant fraud in COVID-19 contracts and small business loans continued, with a remarkable assist from an investigative journalist. An Investigative Journalist Takes a Ride – and Discovers PPE Fraud In Virginia, Robert S. Stewart, Jr., the founder, and president of an Arlington-based company, ironically named Federal Government Experts LLC, pleaded guilty to making false statements to three federal agencies...

COVID Fraud: New York Pharmacy Owners Indicted on Charges Arising from their Abuse of Emergency Override Billing Codes

As we have previously written, regulatory changes designed to alleviate logistical and financial pressure on healthcare providers during the COVID-19 crisis, while necessary, can create opportunities for fraudsters.  Last month, an indictment in New York revealed a scheme by two pharmacy owners who took advantage of relaxed rules regarding prescription prior authorization and refill timing to overcharge Medicare and Medicaid by an alleged $30 million. The Eastern District of New...

State False Claims Acts: A Key Tool in the Fight against COVID Frauds

We all remember the early days of the pandemic when coordination at the Federal level was lacking and states were left to their own devices. States reacted in a variety of ways to fight this public health catastrophe, they created subnational coalitions, struck their own deals for secret mask shipments from China, and conducted their own foreign policy to buy tests from South Korea. Things were chaotic and, and as...

COVID Frauds of the Week: PPP, Puppies, and Securities Fraud

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across the country, the government has remained vigilant in rooting out fraudsters who seek to capitalize on the crisis to line their own pockets.  Over the past week, federal prosecutors have advanced cases against multiple individuals who fraudulently obtained government funds that were supposed to help struggling small businesses.  And in another colorful case, DOJ busted a “puppy scam” targeting U.S. consumers.  Meanwhile, the...

COVID Frauds of the Week: PPP Loans for Fraudsters Who Like Nice Things

It was another busy week for the DOJ, with at least 13 individuals charged for their attempts to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program out of cash meant to help real businesses with real employees, rather than to fund fraudsters’ extravagant lifestyles and idiotic, selfish behavior. Aditya Raj Sharma, 47, of Maple Grove, Minnesota—fake entrepreneur and apparent fan of swimming—was arrested and charged with wire fraud, for defrauding the Paycheck Protection...

COVID Frauds of the Week: Fraudulently Claiming PPP Loans

This week, DOJ took action against two large alleged frauds on the Paycheck Protection Program.  In Hawaii and North Carolina, individuals were charged with fraudulently claiming loans from the critical relief program. In North Carolina, Tristan Pan found himself charged with wire and bank fraud, plus unlawful monetary transactions, for an alleged scheme to get bogus PPP loans.  He allegedly cooked up a series of applications for entities like “Khaleesi”...

COVID Frauds of the Week: More PPP and PPE Fraudsters, and an Update

Attorney General William P. Barr announced the results of his Payroll Protection Program (PPP) Criminal Fraud Enforcement Action this week, and noted that as of August 8, 2020, over 5.2 million loans had been approved, with a total federal expenditure of over $525 billion in federal business support expenditures. The downside is that Paycheck Protection Program fraudsters have cost the government over $70 million in improperly disbursed funds to date,...

COVID Frauds of the Week: PPP Loan Scams Continue, NFL Player Charged

Another week in the time of COVID-19 brings another round of conspiracy and fraud charges in connection with relief programs designed to provide emergency financial assistance to Americans suffering from the pandemic’s economic fallout. We continue to highlight federal prosecutors’ work to stop scams that take advantage of these crucial programs: NFL player Joshua Bellamy was arrested and charged in a federal court in Florida in connection with a conspiracy...