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The United States Attorney’s Offices of the Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Small Business Administration are asking small business owners to be aware of possible scams relating to the CARES Act.

SAN FRANCISCO – Today U.S. Attorney David L. Anderson announced that the Department of Justice has devoted law enforcement resources to address housing-related sexual harassment resulting from the current COVID-19 crisis. The Department of Justice remains vigilant in investigating and prosecuting wrongdoing related to the pandemic, including sexual harassment by landlords, property managers, maintenance workers, loan officers or other people who have control over housing.

Tacoma - A former Port Angeles, Washington, naturopathic physician was charged today with a federal felony related to his attempts to promote a misbranded drug as a prevention for COVID-19, announced U.S. Attorney Brian T. Moran.

SAN JUAN, P.R. – El Procurador General de los Estados Unidos William P. Barr ordenó a todas las Oficinas de los Fiscales Federales de los Estados Unidos a investigar toda querella de acoso sexual relacionada con vivienda como resultado de la actual pandemia COVID-19, anunció W. Stephen Muldrow, Fiscal Federal de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito de Puerto Rico.

MUSKOGEE, OKLAHOMA – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma reminds everyone that even as we begin moving toward resumption of normal lives, fraudsters will continue their schemes to take advantage of the coronavirus pandemic. The best defense is to remain vigilant knowing there are a number of methods criminals will try to profit at your expense. The United States Attorneys for the Eastern, Western and Northern Districts are partnering with the Oklahoma Attorney General to identify, investigate, and prosecute fraud related to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic...

DATELINE – U.S. Attorney Gretchen C.F. Shappert of the District of the Virgin Islands today urged the public to report suspected fraud schemes related to COVID-19 (the Coronavirus). If you think you are a victim of a scam or attempted fraud involving COVID-19, you can report it without leaving your home by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at (1-866-720-5721) or by utilizing the newly released NCDF Complaint Form at https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form. In coordination with the Department of Justice, Attorney...

U.S. Attorney Bill Powell of the Northern District of West Virginia today announced that the city of Clarksburg received $37,272 in Department of Justice grants to respond to the public safety challenges posed by the outbreak of COVID-19.

Assistant Attorney General Stephen E. Boyd issued the following statement in support of efforts to streamline payments under the Public Safety Officer Benefit Program (PSOB) to public safety officers fatally injured while working during COVID-19:

Medicaid is a joint Federal-State program that pays for medical assistance for individuals and families with low incomes. All States currently provide coverage for outpatient prescription drugs within their State Medicaid programs. Under section 1135 of the Act, CMS may temporarily waive or modify certain Medicaid requirements to ensure that sufficient health care items and services are available to meet the needs of beneficiaries in times of an emergency. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic highlights the need for States to efficiently and effectively respond to protect the needs...

With emerging information on rates of infection and outcomes for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), numerous reports document a disproportionate burden of infection and deaths among communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities. This study will examine data that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects and maintains that can be used to assess racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in COVID-19 cases and outcomes, as well as how CDC uses those data as part of its activities to address the COVID-19 pandemic. We will also examine CDC's...

As information on rates of infection and outcomes for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic emerges, numerous reports document racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities in rates of adverse outcomes from COVID-19, including death. This study will review the locations of hospitals that received Provider Relief Funds, with particular attention to hospitals located in communities of color and economically disadvantaged communities that were disproportionately impacted by adverse COVID-19 outcomes (i.e., hospitalization or death).

As a result of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, Medicaid provider enrollment through State Medicaid agencies has been expedited under the SSA §1135 Authority to Waive Requirements during National Emergencies. Rapid loosening of established provider screening and background check requirements may limit a State's ability to identify providers who are not eligible to participate in Medicaid. Our objective is to determine whether the State agency and providers complied with Federal and State requirements for newly enrolled providers under the national emergency declaration and if...

This work will provide details of the effectiveness of CMS controls over its Accelerated and Advance Payment Program (AAP) payments to providers and payment recovery. We will obtain data and meet with program officials to understand CMS's eligibility determination process for AAP payments and the steps CMS will have taken to recover such funds in compliance with the CARES Act and other Federal requirements. The objectives of our work will be to determine whether CMS made AAP payments to eligible providers and implemented controls to recover the AAP payments in compliance with the CARES Act and...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented demand for diagnostic laboratory testing to determine whether an individual has the virus. Beyond the COVID-19 tests, laboratories can also perform add-on tests, for example to confirm or rule out diagnosis other than COVID-19. However, OIG has program integrity concerns related to add-on tests in conjunction with COVID-19 testing, particularly related to potentially fraudulent billing for associated respiratory pathogen panel (RPP) tests, allergy tests, or genetic tests. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services...

SAN JUAN, P.R. – El Fiscal Federal de los Estados Unidos para el Distrito de Puerto Rico W. Stephen Muldrow y el Elder Justice Task Force (EJTF, por sus siglas en inglés) anunciaron hoy el lanzamiento de una iniciativa de toma de pruebas COVID-19 a todos los residentes y empleados en los hogares y centros de cuido prolongado para adultos mayores de Puerto Rico. Esta iniciativa multi-agencial y multisectorial cubrirá más de 1,000 instalaciones, 28,000 residentes y 9,000 empleados y cuidadores durante las próximas tres semanas. Este esfuerzo ha sido posible con el apoyo del Departamento de Salud...

SAN JUAN, P.R. – Puerto Rico U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow and the Elder Justice Task Force (EJTF) announced today the launch of an island-wide COVID-19 testing initiative for all residents and employees in Puerto Rico’s long-term care facilities. This multi-agency, multisectoral initiative will cover over 1,000 facilities, 28,000 residents, and 9,000 employees and caregivers during the next three weeks. This effort has been possible with the support of the P.R. Department of Health, the P.R. Governor’s Medical Task Force, the P.R. Family Affairs Department, the P.R. Department of Justice’s...

Prosecutors from the four United States Attorney’s Offices in California, along with representatives from the FBI, will be participating in a telephonic town hall being coordinated by AARP to provide information to California residents to help them identify and avoid fraudulent schemes related to Coronavirus and COVID-19.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas has obtained a temporary restraining order preventing a DFW chiropractor from touting sham treatments for COVID-19.