Fraud Section Enforcement Related to the CARES Act

On March 10, 2022, the Justice Department announced the appointment of Associate Deputy Attorney General Kevin Chambers as Director for COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement. Mr. Chambers will lead the department’s criminal and civil enforcement efforts to combat COVID-19 related fraud, which efforts have to date have resulted in criminal charges against over 1,000 defendants with alleged losses exceeding $1.1 billion; the seizure of over $1 billion in Economic Injury Disaster Loan proceeds; and over 240 civil investigations into more than 1,800 individuals and entities for alleged misconduct in connection with pandemic relief loans totaling more than $6 billion.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts.

The Fraud Section leads investigations and prosecutions of fraud, false statements, and money laundering related to the CARES Act passed by Congress in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Working alongside law enforcement partners and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Fraud Section has charged over a hundred defendants with fraud connected to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). These efforts have helped to protect the integrity of Small Business Administration programs and deter wrongdoing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please note: This page will be updated as content becomes available.

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PPP Press Conference Boards 2

Court Documents (Cases Publicly Charged up to December 6, 2021)

Please note the court documents below have all been unsealed.

District of Arizona

Central District of California