Reports

BOSTON – Two Nigerian nationals were arrested on Friday, June 12, 2020 and charged in connection with defrauding victims using various online scams during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Memorandum: The Office requests the legislature add an explicit requirement in all future bills authorizing the expenditure of COVID-19 funds. The State Auditor’s Office must have access to records that relate to eligibility for and use of economic recovery grant funds.

A federal grand jury this afternoon indicted a Huntington Beach man on fraud charges that allege he solicited people around the nation to invest in a companies that would market pills he claimed would prevent coronavirus infections and produce an injectable cure for those already suffering from COVID-19.

Seattle—The U.S. Attorney’s Office Western District of Washington and the U.S. Department Justice today filed a statement of interest in Roque v. Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) as part of DOJ’s work to safeguard the civil rights of all Americans, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.

The Justice Department today announced that Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Dreiband sent a letter to Montgomery County Maryland executives expressing First Amendment concerns regarding county orders. The letter urges County Executive Elrich and the County Council to ensure that the county’s executive orders and enforcement of them respect both the right of residents to assemble and practice their faith.

The United States faces two simultaneous nationwide public health emergencies: the opioid epidemic and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Recently released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data identified that in 2018, there were nearly 47,000 opioid-related overdose deaths in the United States. In addition, as of May 28, 2020, over 100,000 U.S. citizens had died from complications related to COVID-19. Because of the widespread transmission of COVID-19, Federal, State, Tribal, and local government agencies have recommended and implemented extensive community mitigation activities, including issuing orders to residents to stay at home and practice social distancing, to help slow and contain the spread of the virus. We plan to identify the challenges that opioid treatment programs (OTPs) are encountering during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, we will identify the actions that OTPs are taking to address those challenges while ensuring the continuity of needed services and protecting the health and safety of their clients and staff.

We plan to begin this audit in May 2020. The objective of this audit is to assess DoD’s implementation of section 3610 as authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, including whether contracting officers properly authorized and reimbursed contractor costs. We may revise the objective as the audit proceeds, and will also consider suggestions from management for additional or revised objectives.

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell of the Northern District of West Virginia today announced that Ohio County received $58,008 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Department of Justice today filed a friend-of-the-court brief in the Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in support of a lawsuit by plaintiffs Ron Givens and Christine Bish, two individuals seeking to hold peaceful in-person protests of 500 to 1,000 people with social distancing on the grounds of the California State Capitol Building.

Good morning Chairman Graham, Ranking Member Feinstein, and members of the Committee. Thank you for inviting us to appear before you today to discuss the Department of Justice’s (the Department) efforts to detect and prosecute those who seek to exploit the COVID- 19 pandemic and the economic dislocation it has caused for personal financial gain. We have been tasked by the Attorney General and Deputy Attorney General to lead the Department’s Hoarding and Price Gouging Task Force (Mr. Carpenito) and to coordinate more generally the Department’s response to criminal conduct relating to the COVID...

The president of a California-based medical technology company was charged in a complaint unsealed today in the Northern District of California, in connection with his alleged participation in schemes to mislead investors, to manipulate the company’s stock price and to conspire to commit health care fraud in connection with the submission of over $69 million in false and fraudulent claims for allergy and COVID-19 testing.

Memorandum: There is desire to inject the CARES Act funding into the community as soon as possible. However, some aspects of this bill raise concerns about risk that deserve your consideration. Creating the program and appropriating $50 million before the Tax Department has established “a formula for determining the amount of grant awards” is a significant delegation of authority without any guidance.

Charlie Peeler, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Georgia, is urging law enforcement and community partners to join with the United States Attorney’s Office in eradicating sexual harassment in housing amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Dreiband and U.S. Attorney for Oregon Billy Williams issued the following statement:

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell of the Northern District of West Virginia today announced that the Marion County received $45,952 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Department of Justice has awarded more than $4.143 million to help public safety agencies in Maryland respond to the challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19, as part of the Coronavirus Emergency Supplemental Funding program.

RENO, Nev. – Peter Lucas, 35, of Reno, pleaded guilty today to stealing hundreds of surgical masks from a supply cart at the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno, announced U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich for the District of Nevada.

The purpose of this Monitoring Report is to provide an overview of the State of Indiana’s efforts to ensure proper use of federal funds and compliance with the requirements of the federal COVID-19 legislation. This Monitoring Report also provides recommendations on how the State can guard against waste, fraud and abuse while utilizing money from the federal COVID-19 legislation to fight the effects of COVID-19 in Indiana.

A project manager employed by a major retailer was charged in a complaint unsealed Wednesday for allegedly filing fraudulent bank loan applications seeking more than $8 million in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Eric Dreiband, U.S. Attorney Matthew Schneider for the Eastern District of Michigan, and U.S. Attorney Andrew Birge for the Western District of Michigan issued the following statement:

Memorandum: The recently issued U.S. Treasury Coronavirus Relief Fund FAQ1 has implications for the Governor’s proposed Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program. As proposed, the Vermont EIDL program to be administered by the Vermont Economic Development Authority (VEDA) establishes a perpetual revolving loan fund. However, the FAQ indicates that all loan repayments subsequent to December 30, 2020 must be returned to the U.S. Treasury.

HUD OIG is researching Public and Indian Housing and Multifamily use of vacant units during previously Presidentially Declared Disasters and the COVID-19 declared Disaster, as well as PIH and Multifamily’s ability to place a waitlist preference for the homeless and how many homeless individuals had a 50058 or 50059 new move-in during the COVID pandemic.  Since the introduction of the CARES act, there has been an emphasis to review how HUD has reacted to the COVID-19 disaster.  HUD allocated $1 billion to keep America's homeless population safe.  The purpose of this research is to issue memorandums for both PIH and Multifamily addressing the research topics.

HUD OIG is  researching prior audits of HUD’s partial claims loss mitigation option.  On July 8, 2020, FHA issued Mortgagee Letter 2020-22 informing mortgagees the full suite of loss mitigations available to single family borrowers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The purpose of this research is to provide HUD information regarding lessons learned and risks identified in these prior audits that HUD should act on now to ensure program integrity and mitigate the risk of financial loss for COVID-19 related partial claims.

HUD OIG is performing research to help HUD's Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus pandemic (CDBG-CV) grantees be aware of known risks and lessons learned from audits and evaluations of the Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery Program grants (CDBG-DR).  The purpose of our research is to issue a report that is intended to assist HUD’s Office of Community Planning and Development (CPD) by developing lessons learned from past reviews and common risk areas to help its CDBG-CV grantees prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus pandemic.

This memorandum report summarizes survey and interview results on the impact mandatory telework is having on U.S. Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) operations. The HUD Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted surveys and interviews to evaluate HUD’s use of agency-wide telework in response to the novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study was designed to provide insights into the types of obstacles that impeded HUD operations and how HUD responded to identified limitations. HUD demonstrated a capacity to sustain mission essential operations during a period of...

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell of the Northern District of West Virginia today announced that the city of Wheeling received $145,513 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

We recommend that the City Council accept the City Auditor’s interim report on the status of internal controls for documenting COVID-19 related costs to support receipt of emergency public assistance grants through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

The Office of Inspector General's annual plan revision outlines changes to our FY 2020 Annual Plan due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging a Norfolk man with submitting fraudulent disaster-related loan applications in connection with the COVID-19 outbreak that resulted in the disbursement of over $190,000 in proceeds.

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Michigan federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by seven businesses challenging the restrictions imposed by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger today announced that various jurisdictions across the Eastern District of Virginia have recently been awarded over $764,000 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Colorado federal court supporting the First Amendment religious freedom claims of High Plains Harvest Church and its pastor.

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in a Maine federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by campgrounds in Maine—and New Hampshire residents who wish to enjoy them—challenging a measure by Governor Janet Mills in response to COVID 19 that treats Maine residents more favorably than out-of-state residents when they seek to patronize campgrounds and RV parks within Maine.

A Georgia woman who sold an unregistered pesticide, which she claimed protected against viruses such as COVID-19, has pleaded guilty to violating the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

Thomas Cooper, a mail carrier in Pendleton County, was charged today in a criminal complaint with attempted election fraud, U.S. Attorney Bill Powell announced. Cooper, age 47, of Dry Fork, West Virginia, is charged with “Attempt to Defraud the Residents of West Virginia of a Fair Election.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has indicated that individuals at high risk for severe illness from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) are people aged 65 years and older and those who live in a nursing home. Currently, more than 1.3 million residents live in approximately 15,450 Medicare- and Medicaid-certified nursing homes in the United States. As of February 2020, State Survey Agencies have cited more than 6,600 of these nursing homes (nearly 43 percent) for infection prevention and control program deficiencies, including lack of a correction plan in place for these deficiencies. To reduce the likelihood of contracting and spreading COVID-19 at these nursing homes, effective internal controls must be in place. Our objective is to determine whether selected nursing homes have programs for infection prevention and control and emergency preparedness in accordance with Federal requirements.

This work will examine the effectiveness of HHS controls over the awarding and disbursement of $50 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) payments to hospitals and other providers. We will obtain data and interview program officials to gain an understanding of how PRF payments were calculated and review PRF payments for compliance with Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act requirements. Among other things, we will seek to determine whether HHS controls over PRF payments ensured that payments were correctly calculated and disbursed to eligible providers.

Onsite surveys of nursing homes are a fundamental safeguard to ensure that nursing home residents are safe and receive high-quality care. In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, CMS directed State Survey Agencies (SSAs) to suspend standard onsite surveys and most onsite surveys for complaints. CMS directed SSAs to conduct onsite surveys in response to the most serious complaints (i.e., those involving immediate jeopardy) and complaints related to infection control, and to conduct targeted infection control surveys, which are abbreviated surveys focused on infection control policies and practices within facilities. Using recent complaint and survey data for all nursing homes, this study will examine the extent to which SSAs and CMS are conducting onsite surveys in nursing homes related to serious complaints and targeted infection control, in accord with CMS's recent guidance to suspend certain onsite surveys. We will also identify any barriers that CMS and SSAs face in conducting onsite surveys, as well as potential solutions.

A California man has been charged with allegedly filing bank loan applications fraudulently seeking more than $1.7 million dollars in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Last week, two federal grand juries in the District of Puerto Rico returned 14 indictments charging 21 defendants during the first week that the United States District Court in Puerto Rico reconvened grand jury proceedings after implementation of health and safety precautions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The indictments include charges of firearms violations, drug trafficking, sexual exploitation of minors, cash smuggling, assault on a federal employee, and illegal reentry. The...

The Department of Justice today filed a statement of interest in an Illinois federal court in support of a lawsuit filed by Illinois state representative Darren Bailey challenging certain actions of Governor J.B. Pritzker in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell of the Northern District of West Virginia today announced that the city of Morgantown received $44,250 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

A software engineer was charged in a complaint unsealed today for allegedly filing fraudulent bank loan applications seeking more than $1 million in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The recently ousted head of Aviron Pictures was arrested this morning on federal fraud charges that allege he applied for $1.7 million in loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), falsely certified that the money would be used to finance the operations of other Aviron entities, and then used some of the relief funds for his personal expenses.

United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger today announced that various jurisdictions across the Eastern District of Virginia have recently been awarded over $972,500 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

United States Attorney G. Zachary Terwilliger and Assistant Attorney General Eric S. Dreiband of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division today announced an update on the status of the Department of Justice’s efforts to protect religious liberties during the COVID-19 pandemic by supporting a lawsuit brought in federal district court by Lighthouse Fellowship Church, a congregation in Chincoteague Island, Virginia that serves, among others, recovering drug addicts and former prostitutes.

The Office of Inspector General Audits Division will be conducting an evaluation to determine whether SBA has effective oversight to ensure the Resource Partner Associations implement the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act and grant requirements.

Tampa, Florida– United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of an indictment charging James Jamal Curry (31, St. Petersburg) with perpetrating a biological weapon hoax. If convicted, Curry faces up to 5 years in federal prison. Curry had been initially charged by criminal complaint on April 7, 2020.

On March 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Among its provisions, the CARES Act provided the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) with $756 million to support the needs of DOI programs, bureaus, Indian Country, and the Insular Areas.The DOI will award most of its CARES Act funding through contracts and financial assistance agreements (such as grants and cooperative agreements). Our past work demonstrates that these awards are a vulnerable area for the DOI. Moreover, awards made as part of emergency response are riskier...

West Valley City, Midvale Receive Emergency DOJ Funding To Support Law Enforcement, First Responders

A Texas man has been charged in the Eastern District of Texas with allegedly filing bank loan applications fraudulently seeking more than $5 million dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

During the coronavirus pandemic, the Justice Department is committed to ensuring that all citizens are free from harassment or discrimination because of their ethnicity.

United States Attorney Nick Hanna is asking anyone who has witnessed or experienced sexual harassment by a landlord, property manager, maintenance worker, or anyone with control over housing to report that conduct to the Department of Justice.

The CARES Act provides GSA with $295.15M to prevent, prepare for, and respond to COVID-19 domestically or internationally. The GSA OIG will monitor GSA’s implementation of the CARES Act, and issue alert reports as necessary to advise management of potential problems, including any internal control issues. As significant risks or concerns are identified, the OIG will conduct additional audit assignments to address them specifically and in more detail.

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – A federal court in Muskogee, Oklahoma, has entered a temporary restraining order halting the sale of an unapproved colloidal silver product to treat COVID-19. The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma entered the temporary restraining order on May 14, 2020 in response to a civil complaint and accompanying court papers filed by the Department of Justice. In its complaint, the department alleges that Xephyr LLC, doing business as N-Ergetics, and its owners Brad Brand, Derill J. Fussell, and Linda Fussell, sell and distribute a colloidal silver product...

A Georgia woman was arrested today for her alleged role in a conspiracy to defraud Medicare, a federally funded health care benefit program, by submitting false and fraudulent claims for cancer genetic (CGX) testing, as well as her role in conspiring to submit fraudulent claims related to COVID-19 and other tests.

TULSA, Okla. – U.S. Attorney Trent Shores of the Northern District of Oklahoma today announced that the Broken Arrow Police Department received $40,210 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

Murray, West Jordan Get Emergency Supplemental Funding To Support Efforts To Respond To Coronavirus

The OIG plans to initiate a project to research and identify topics for potential audits and evaluations related to the EPA's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.