WASHINGTON – A US Department of Justice report released on Tuesday revealed that over 3,500 people have been charged with federal COVID-19 fraud since May 2021.Â
The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which was founded in May 2021, states that it has charged more than 3,500 people with federal crimes related to COVID-19 fraud, resulting in over 400 civil settlements.Â
$1.4 billion in fraudulently obtained COVID-19 relief funds have been seized by the Justice Department in the past three years according to prosecutors.Â
Schemes to legitimately obtain COVID-19 relief funds or to trick other people into giving away their own money under the guise of COVID-19 regulations was a persistent problem for federal law enforcement during the peak of the crisis.Â
Federal prosecutors plan to continue pursuing criminal charges in COVID-19 fraud cases for the next several years.
