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Evaluation of SBA’s Awards to Highlight Technologies LLC to Meet Emerging Needs Related to COVID-19
The Office of Inspector General will conduct an evaluation of SBA’s awards made to Highlight Technologies LLC to meet emerging needs related to impacts of COVID-19. Our project is part of a series of reviews of contracts SBA awarded to support CARES Act and other COVID-19 related legislation programs. Our objective is to determine if SBA issued the blanket purchase agreement and contract modifications in accordance with federal laws, regulations, and internal guidance.
Small Business Administration’s Implementation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund
The Office of Inspector General Audits Division will perform an evaluation of the Small Business Administration’s implementation of the Restaurant Revitalization Fund. Our objectives are to determine if SBA designed the program to (1) align with the American Rescue Plan Act requirements including whether designated groups were prioritized and (2) minimize the risk of financial loss.
Serial Fraudster Sentenced to More Than Six Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Fraud Schemes Resulting in Losses of More Than $1 Million
U.S. District Judge Ellen L. Hollander today sentenced Robert Lee Snowden Jr., age 45, of Owings Mills, Maryland, to 78 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and for aggravated identity theft, in connection with a series of fraud schemes perpetrated between 2013 and 2020. Additionally, Judge Hollander ordered that Snowden pay restitution of $1,021,583.72.
Man Sentenced for his Role in Directing COVID-19 Relief Fraud Scheme
A Wisconsin man was sentenced today to 57 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Survey of Food Safety and Inspection Service Inspectors’ Perceptions of COVID-19 Safety in the Work Environment
This product presents the results of the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) February – March 2021 pulse survey of Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) inspectors to obtain information about how FSIS frontline inspectors perceive coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) safety in their work environments.
Broken Arrow Man Sentenced to Federal Prison After Fraudulently Applying for Paycheck Protection Program Forgivable Loan
TULSA, Okla. – A Broken Arrow man was sentenced today in federal court for fraudulently applying for a Paycheck Protection Program forgivable loan guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
Florida Man Charged with Stealing Ventilators Intended for Critically Ill Covid-19 Patients in El Salvador Arrested in Texas
Yoelvis Denis Hernandez, a/k/a “Guajiro,” 42, was arrested yesterday in Del Rio, Texas, on a South Florida indictment charging him with stealing 192 U.S. government-owned medical ventilators worth about three million dollars. According to court documents, the ventilators were heading to a COVID-19 intensive care facility in El Salvador as part of a United States Government COVID-19 aid program when they were stolen in South Florida, while in transit.
Texas Woman Indicted on Unemployment Fraud Charge Related to COVID-19 Pandemic
BOSTON – A Texas woman was indicted by a federal grand jury yesterday in connection with her alleged involvement in a scheme to fraudulently claim COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.
DOJ Announces Coordinated Law Enforcement Action to Combat Health Care Fraud Related to COVID-19
The Department of Justice today announced criminal charges against 14 defendants, including 11 newly-charged defendants and three who were charged in superseding indictments, in seven federal districts across the United States for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in over $143 million in false billings.
Nigerian national indicted for conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for fraud on Employment Security benefits
Seattle – A Nigerian citizen arrested May 14, 2021 at JFK Airport in New York, is now indicted for conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for his scheme to steal over $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman
Two Postal Service Employees Plead Guilty to Using EDD Debit Cards to Illegally Purchase Thousands of Dollars in Postal Money Orders
Two United States Postal Service (USPS) employees pleaded guilty today to federal criminal charges accusing them of unlawfully buying and cashing tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of Postal money orders with unemployment benefits fraudulently obtained with false claims of COVID-related job losses.
U.S. Postal Inspection Service Pandemic Response to Mail Fraud and Mail Theft
Our objective was to assess the Postal Inspection Service’s response to mail fraud and mail theft during the COVID-19 pandemic. After we began the audit, we received a congressional request from seven members of Congress asking us to identify what actions, if any, the Postal Inspection Service had taken to address the increase in mail theft during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Owner of Wedding Planning Company Pleads Guilty to COVID-19 Relief Fraud
A Texas man pleaded guilty today to filing fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $3 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
Transparency in Pandemic-related Federal Spending: Report of Alignment and Gaps
A commissioned study by MITRE that identifies gaps in federal data sources and how we can close them to improve the quality of the information we provide to the public.
Inadequate Resident Supervision and Documentation of an Ophthalmology Procedure at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System in Oklahoma
The VA Office of Inspector General (OIG) conducted an inspection in response to allegations related to ophthalmology resident supervision and quality of care by an attending ophthalmologist (subject ophthalmologist) at the Oklahoma City VA Health Care System in Oklahoma.The OIG substantiated that the subject ophthalmologist failed to provide adequate resident supervision and entered inaccurate documentation related to supervision for a single patient case. The ophthalmology residents were unable to reach the subject ophthalmologist when the patient experienced a complication during an eye...
Nigerian citizen charged with defrauding Washington State Employment Security Department of over $350,000
Seattle – A Nigerian citizen was arrested Friday evening at JFK Airport in New York on a criminal complaint charging him with wire fraud for his scheme to steal over $350,000 in unemployment benefits from the Washington State Employment Security Department, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman.
Guilty Plea in First-In-The-Nation Cares Act fraud Case
PROVIDENCE - A Massachusetts man who faked suicide shortly after he and a co-defendant became the first in the nation to be charged with fraudulently seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in forgivable pandemic relief small business loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, pleaded guilty today to conspiring to commit bank fraud and failure to appear in court.
Risk of Closed Institutions of Higher Education Receiving Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund Grants
The purpose of this report is to share with the U.S. Department of Education (Department) observations made by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) concerning institutions of higher education (IHE) that ceased to provide educational instruction in all programs of study (closed) and received or had access to coronavirus response and relief aid through the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF). We found that 17 IHEs that closed on or before December 31, 2020, applied for and were awarded a total of $4,912,675 of HEERF grants by OPE. Of these 17 IHEs, 14 drew down HEERF funds and 3 did...
Malden Man Pleads Guilty to COVID-Relief Fraud and Identity Theft
BOSTON – A Malden man pleaded guilty today to identity fraud charges in connection with submitting fraudulent applications for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). The federal PUA program provides unemployment-related benefits to individuals who have been impacted by COVID-19.
Florida Man Sentenced After Fraudulently Obtaining $3.9 Million in PPP Loans
A Florida man was sentenced today to more than six years in prison for fraudulently obtaining approximately $3.9 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and using those funds, in part, to purchase a $318,000 Lamborghini luxury car for himself.
Insights: COVID-19 in Correctional and Detention Facilities
To read this report, visit the Pandemic Response Accountability website:https://www.pandemicoversight.gov/oversight/our-publications-reports/ke…
Key Insights: COVID-19 in Correctional and Detention Facilities
Correctional and detention facilities present unique challenges in preventing and controlling the spread of COVID-19. When compared to the general population, a disproportionate number of COVID-19 outbreaks and deaths occur in jails, prisons, and detention facilities across the country. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that the confined nature of correctional and detention facilities, combined with their congregate environments, heightens the potential for COVID-19 to spread once introduced into a facility. Individuals typically eat, sleep, and participate in activities...
Miami Woman Arrested for Wire Fraud Arising From Small Business Disaster Relief Loan
BOSTON – A Miami woman was arrested today in connection with allegedly filing and obtaining fraudulent pandemic-related loans and using those funds for personal expenses.