Washington, DC — Today, Michael E. Horowitz, Chair of the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee (PRAC), announced the release of the PRAC’s Semiannual Report to Congress, which covers the period from October 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024.
“After four years since the onset of the pandemic and the PRAC’s creation, our mission to promote transparency and coordinate oversight of the federal government’s COVID-19 response remains more critical than ever. With 15 months remaining until our sunset, we submit this Semiannual Report to Congress at a crucial time in our lifespan, and we bring with it hope that Congress will maintain the valuable fraud-fighting tools of our data analytics center and expand its jurisdiction beyond pandemic relief funds,” said Chair Horowitz. “The insights highlighted in this report are proof that retaining the model we’ve created for conducting effective oversight will strengthen federal program integrity, safeguard taxpayer dollars, and ensure federal spending reaches those it is intended to help – not only in a crisis, but every day.”
The report summarizes the PRAC’s work during the first half of Fiscal Year 2024 and updates Congress on our efforts to promote transparency and ensure coordinated oversight of more than $5 trillion in pandemic relief. It also highlights the success of the PRAC’s Pandemic Analytics Center of Excellence (PACE), demonstrating the value of the data analytics platform as a good-government initiative that should transition from fighting pandemic-related fraud to preventing and curbing waste in other government spending programs.
Key PRAC accomplishments achieved during this reporting period, as aligned with our mission and vision, include:
The issuance of a follow-up report examining six diverse communities’ experiences with pandemic relief funding and programs, in coordination with 10 Offices of Inspectors General (OIGs).
The sentencing of a recidivist fraudster to 25 years in prison for his role in a $10 million pandemic fraud scheme investigated by the PRAC Fraud Task Force.
The success of the PACE in using sophisticated data analytics techniques to generate investigative leads for the Department of Justice COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, build an analytic model for the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation OIG, develop a dashboard for the Treasury OIG, and build a data sharing and risk analytics product for the oversight community called the Analytic Center Pilot.
Additional highlights from the reporting period include:
The innovative, collaborative efforts of the PACE that supported over 783 pandemic-related investigations with nearly 10,000 subjects, with an estimated potential fraud loss of $2.03 billion.
The 33 pandemic oversight reports issued by 16 OIGs that identified over $8.6 billion in monetary findings and contain 105 recommendations to improve the government's response to the pandemic and future emergencies.
The PRAC Fraud Task Force’s investigations, which resulted in criminal charges for 69 subjects and recovery of over $15 million in restitution, seizures, forfeitures, civil settlements, and voluntary repayments.
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The PRAC was established by the CARES Act to promote transparency and support independent oversight of the funds provided by the CARES Act and other related emergency spending bills. In addition to its coordination and oversight responsibilities, the PRAC is tasked with supporting efforts to “prevent and detect fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement [and] mitigate major risks that cut across program and agency boundaries.”
If you have additional questions, please contact Lisa Reijula at lisa.reijula@cigie.gov