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A North Carolina man was charged by criminal complaint unsealed today for fraudulently seeking more than $414,000 in COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Miami, Fl. – Federal prosecutors have charged two Florida residents with bank fraud conspiracy for allegedly using synthetic identities to commit crimes, including defrauding banks and stealing over $3 million from Covid-19 relief programs.

A North Carolina man pleaded guilty today to perpetrating three schemes between March and July 2020 connected to the COVID-19 pandemic, through which he defrauded consumers and the federal government’s relief programs.

Section 3710 of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act directs the Secretary to increase the weighting factor that would otherwise apply to the assigned diagnosis-related group by 20 percent for an individual who is diagnosed with COVID-19 and discharged during the COVID-19 public health emergency period. We will audit whether payments made by Medicare for COVID-19 inpatient discharges billed by hospitals complied with Federal requirements.

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act appropriated $175 billion for the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support health care providers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. In April 2020, the Health Resources and Services Administration began distributing the funds through general distributions to Medicare providers based on 2018 net patient revenue and targeted distributions for certain provider types (e.g., providers in areas particularly impacted by COVID-19, skilled nursing providers, and providers in...

CDC has stated that beneficiaries with serious underlying medical conditions, such as end-stage renal disease (ESRD), are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Regardless of the current pandemic, dialysis patients are at high risk of infection because of weakened immune systems, coexisting conditions such as diabetes, and treatments requiring frequent use of catheters or insertions of needles to access the bloodstream. ESRD facility conditions for coverage regarding infection control and emergency preparedness are defined in 42 CFR 494 Subpart B. On March 30, 2020, CMS issued a...

The Protect.HHS.gov ecosystem and the U.S. Healthcare COVID-19 portal are both critically important systems contributing to the Federal pandemic response. The data collected by these systems are utilized in the response to COVID-19 by, for example, tracking the movement of the virus, identifying potential stresses in the health care delivery system, and provide information about the distribution of supplies. Without proper cybersecurity, the integrity and availability of the data are at risk and the impact to public health efforts could be significant if decisionmakers cannot rely on COVID-19...

CINCINNATI – A federal grand jury has charged three Florida men in a financial fraud conspiracy that allegedly involved stealing identities in order to fraudulently obtain credit, tax refunds, and COVID-19 stimulus checks. Several of the victims of their alleged scheme resided in the Southern District of Ohio.

A New Jersey attorney was arrested today and charged with fraudulently obtaining approximately $9 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Craig Carpenito of the District of New Jersey.

PROVIDENCE – A Massachusetts man who failed to appear in federal court in Rhode Island and who allegedly faked his own death after being charged and arraigned on fraud and conspiracy charges for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to file bank loan applications fraudulently seeking more than a half-million dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Providence.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the arrest and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Casey David Crowther (35, Fort Myers) with making a false statement to a lending institution. If convicted, Crowther faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

A Michigan man was arrested today in connection with a wire fraud scheme involving $3.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Two Florida neighbors were charged in a complaint unsealed today with wire fraud and false statements for their alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.1 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

A Nevada man has been arrested in connection with allegations that he fraudulently obtained approximately $500,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and then laundered the funds through friends and family in order to buy a house.

A North Carolina man was charged by criminal complaint unsealed today for fraudulently seeking more than $414,000 in COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

WASHINGTON – A Seattle man pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud for carrying out a scheme to defraud several COVID-19 relief programs.

A Seattle man pleaded guilty today to one count of wire fraud for carrying out a scheme to defraud several COVID-19 relief programs.

A 28-year-old Corpus Christi man has admitted to devising a scheme to fraudulently misappropriate $278,433 in unemployment benefits meant for those suffering financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic

A previously convicted felon pleaded guilty today to engaging in a COVID-19 related loan fraud scheme with losses of $196,000.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Keith William Nicoletta (48, Dade City) with bank fraud and illegal monetary transactions. Nicoletta was arrested earlier this week. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in federal prison.

A San Fernando Valley man was arrested today on federal charges alleging he and his business partner fraudulently obtained more than $1.95 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans for their companies by submitting fake tax documents and false employee information, and then transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars of the funds into their personal bank accounts.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the return of a superseding indictment charging Casey David Crowther (35, North Fort Myers) with two counts of bank fraud, two counts of making a false statement to a lending institution, and three counts of illegal monetary transactions. If convicted on all counts, Crowther faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each bank fraud and false statement count, and up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each illegal monetary transaction count. The indictment also notifies Crowther that the United States intends to...

PROVIDENCE – Four individuals in Florida have been arrested and more than $1.2 million dollars in cash has been seized in a wide-ranging, ongoing joint federal and state investigation into a significant number of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims submitted to the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (RIDLT), and elsewhere, for benefits funded in part by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The CARES Act was passed by Congress to assist, among others, individuals whose employment has been impacted by the pandemic.

A Leesburg man was arrested today on charges of fraudulently obtaining over $2.5 million in loans through the CARES Act Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), and then spending the fraudulently obtained money on luxury items.

PROVIDENCE – A Middletown, R.I., man currently serving a term of federal supervised release having been convicted and incarcerated for robbing four banks, admitted in federal court in Providence today to fraudulently seeking more than $4.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Seattle - A Washington man was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed today for fraudulently seeking over $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA)

Five individuals were charged in an indictment unsealed today for their alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.1 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, announced Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian C. Rabbitt of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Matthew D. Krueger of the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Two brothers and their wives have been charged in a federal grand jury indictment alleging a scheme to submit at least 35 fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $5.6 million in COVID-19 relief loans authorized by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The Pandemic Response Accountability Committee’s (PRAC) first Semiannual Report to Congress, covering the period from April 1, 2020 through September 30, 2020.

The COVID-19 pandemic poses special challenges for victims of domestic violence. Because of economic and other uncertainties surrounding the pandemic and the shelter-in-place orders in effect for most States, abusers may exert further power and control over their partners. Victims in these States are more socially isolated and have fewer opportunities to connect with others who may be able to assist them. Isolated victims may be less likely to use crisis hotlines because their abusers are close by, and victims may face repercussions if they reach out for help. For fiscal year 2020, the...

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, CMS implemented a number of waivers and flexibilities that allowed Medicare beneficiaries to access a wider range of telehealth services without having to travel to a health care facility. This review will be based on Medicare Parts B and C data and will identify program integrity risks associated with Medicare telehealth services during the pandemic. We will analyze providers' billing patterns for telehealth services. We will also describe key characteristics of providers that may pose a program integrity risk to the Medicare program.

A commissioned study 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.

This audit will look at the quality of data reported in selected President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs to determine if weaknesses exist that may lead to inaccurate results reporting. The objectives of this audit are to assess the extent to which USAID has: (1) designed and implemented internal controls over collecting, verifying, and reporting PEPFAR data; and (2) identified and mitigated the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on its internal controls over PEPFAR data quality.

To address the COVID-19 pandemic, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPP) together appropriated $2 billion to reimburse providers for costs associated with conducting COVID-19 testing and testing-related items and services for the uninsured. Additionally, a portion of the $175 billion appropriated to the Provider Relief Fund by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) and PPP will be used for treating uninsured individuals with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. HHS, through the Health...

A Dallas-area man was charged in an indictment filed Thursday for his alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking approximately $24.8 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.