- The DOJ has seized over $1.4 billion in stolen COVID-19 relief funds
- More than 3,000 people across the U.S. have been charged so far
- Three cases highlight the lengths alleged fraudsters were willing to go
(File: Getty)
(NewsNation) — Federal authorities have charged thousands of people for offenses related to COVID-19 fraud, and in many cases, accused fraudsters carried out elaborate schemes to obtain the money.
In Milwaukee, dozens of gang members collected pandemic unemployment benefits over the course of 18 months after submitting fraudulent claims to California and other state programs, investigators allege.
Federal prosecutors say they spent that money on guns, drugs and jewelry, and even carried out a murder-for-hire plot.
DOJ announces COVID fraud charges against 371 defendants
Elsewhere, a 32-year-old woman in San Diego, California, is accused of participating in a scheme to steal COVID-19 stimulus payments using the identities of homeless people in the area.
These cases represent just a handful of the more than 3,000 defendants the U.S. Justice Department has charged so far. As of this week, the DOJ says it has seized over $1.4 billion in pandemic relief funds.