Derived table · Cross-program enforcement
DOJ pandemic-fraud press-release index
2,879 Department of Justice press releases on pandemic-relief fraud, March 2020 through September 2026, with the district, defendants, charges, programs, lenders, dollar amount, sentence, and case stage parsed out of each one.
Rows2,879
Columns17
Files1 · 2.8 MB
FormatCSV
Source vintageDOJ corpus through 2026-07-04
Published byPandemic Darlings
Acquired / built2026-07-10
Releasepandemic-darlings-data-v1-2026-07-10
Built fromDOJ press-release corpus, 2020–2026
SHA-25682d6f4a7c280ac8508333c3f39697dd428bcb4e176641a66f318938112965a02
RightsCompiled from U.S. government public records; attribution to Pandemic Darlings requested for parsed fields.
Schema · dictionarydoj-pandemic-fraud-press-index.json · dictionary.csv
Download CSV 2.6 MBData dictionary CSVAt a glancePreviewColumnsHow to useBefore you quote a row
At a glance
Measured on the served file on 2026-09-15; the checksum above is the file these numbers describe.
Rows2,879
Columns17
Key
uuid · uniqueCells left blank12,251 of 48,943 · 25.0%
Date range2020-03-17 → 2026-09-15
Districts / components93 districts · 343 offices
Rows naming a lender129
Median dollar figure$1.5 million
doj-pandemic-fraud-press-index.csv by the year-month of the date column; the 6 rows with no date are left out.The numbers behind this chart
| Month | Releases |
|---|---|
| 2020-03 | 84 |
| 2020-04 | 41 |
| 2020-05 | 23 |
| 2020-06 | 25 |
| 2020-07 | 20 |
| 2020-08 | 29 |
| 2020-09 | 35 |
| 2020-10 | 27 |
| 2020-11 | 20 |
| 2020-12 | 31 |
| 2021-01 | 17 |
| 2021-02 | 15 |
| 2021-03 | 43 |
| 2021-04 | 42 |
| 2021-05 | 39 |
| 2021-06 | 29 |
| 2021-07 | 36 |
| 2021-08 | 29 |
| 2021-09 | 36 |
| 2021-10 | 29 |
| 2021-11 | 39 |
| 2021-12 | 38 |
| 2022-01 | 34 |
| 2022-02 | 37 |
| 2022-03 | 42 |
| 2022-04 | 37 |
| 2022-05 | 43 |
| 2022-06 | 46 |
| 2022-07 | 57 |
| 2022-08 | 39 |
| 2022-09 | 29 |
| 2022-10 | 37 |
| 2022-11 | 44 |
| 2022-12 | 36 |
| 2023-01 | 41 |
| 2023-02 | 48 |
| 2023-03 | 47 |
| 2023-04 | 34 |
| 2023-05 | 49 |
| 2023-06 | 39 |
| 2023-07 | 38 |
| 2023-08 | 44 |
| 2023-09 | 45 |
| 2023-10 | 43 |
| 2023-11 | 30 |
| 2023-12 | 39 |
| 2024-01 | 30 |
| 2024-02 | 45 |
| 2024-03 | 47 |
| 2024-04 | 33 |
| 2024-05 | 47 |
| 2024-06 | 45 |
| 2024-07 | 34 |
| 2024-08 | 47 |
| 2024-09 | 43 |
| 2024-10 | 33 |
| 2024-11 | 33 |
| 2024-12 | 24 |
| 2025-01 | 33 |
| 2025-02 | 31 |
| 2025-03 | 32 |
| 2025-04 | 39 |
| 2025-05 | 44 |
| 2025-06 | 40 |
| 2025-07 | 40 |
| 2025-08 | 38 |
| 2025-09 | 34 |
| 2025-10 | 1 |
| 2025-11 | 34 |
| 2025-12 | 39 |
| 2026-01 | 24 |
| 2026-02 | 22 |
| 2026-03 | 38 |
| 2026-04 | 33 |
| 2026-05 | 52 |
| 2026-06 | 20 |
| 2026-07 | 35 |
| 2026-08 | 42 |
| 2026-09 | 36 |
doj-pandemic-fraud-press-index.csv by case_type; the 597 rows whose headline matched no stage keyword are not shown.The numbers behind this chart
| Stage keyword | Releases |
|---|---|
| sentenced | 835 |
| pleaded guilty | 491 |
| charged | 444 |
| indicted | 178 |
| convicted | 114 |
| arrested | 92 |
| agrees to pay | 46 |
| settle | 33 |
| settles | 25 |
| agree to pay | 23 |
| pleaded_guilty | 1 |
What it is
One row per press release. The releases were collected from the DOJ's public press-release API by searching ten phrases (paycheck protection, PPP fraud, EIDL fraud, CARES Act fraud, pandemic relief fraud, employee retention credit, restaurant revitalization, and similar) and deduplicated on the DOJ's own identifier. The fields were then extracted from the headline and body text by pattern matching.
The mix of stages: 791 sentencings, 474 guilty pleas, 435 charging announcements, 174 indictments, 108 convictions, 90 arrests, about 100 civil settlements, and 535 releases whose headline fits none of those patterns. By program, PPP is named in two thirds of the rows, EIDL in a third, and unemployment insurance in one in eight; many releases name more than one.
How it was built
District and office come from the API's component field. Defendant names, charge words, program names, lender names, dollar figures, sentence lengths, and restitution are matched with regular expressions against the text. dollar_amount is the largest dollar figure in the release, which for a single case is usually the loss or intended loss, and for a nationwide roundup is usually a program total. case_type is the first stage keyword found in the headline.
Preview
| uuid | date | title | url | district | office | defendants | charges | programs | lenders | dollar_amount | dollar_amount_fmt | sentence | restitution | restitution_fmt | case_type | summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| b4926700-2160-4268-9827-1f03cf844bd1 | 2026-09-15 | Western District of Texas U.S. Attorney’s Office Joins DOJ … | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtx/pr/western-district-texas… | WDTX | National Fraud Enforcement Division, USAO - Texas, Western | money laundering, false statements | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EIDL | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | SAN ANTONIO – The United States Attorney’s Office for the W… | ||||||
| 359d4bfc-fdde-4267-99b8-35be6ef5afd6 | 2026-09-15 | The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Mich… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdmi/pr/2026_0915_Heartland_Fr… | WDMI | USAO - Michigan, Western | wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER … | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | 240 months (20.0 yrs) | Joint national takedown: 40 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along … | |||||
| 469e20fd-bdab-4e6d-90e4-c0d837c4ccec | 2026-09-15 | Southern District of Ohio joins DOJ Fraud Division, SBA &am… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdoh/pr/southern-district-ohio… | SDOH | USAO - Ohio, Southern | mail fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, money la… | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EIDL | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | 240 months (20.0 yrs) | COLUMBUS, Ohio – The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Souther… | |||||
| 2ee96877-b976-4cf6-b64e-926123f7d0b8 | 2026-09-15 | The Northern District of West Virginia joins DOJ Fraud Divi… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndwv/pr/northern-district-west… | NDWV | USAO - West Virginia, Northern | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EIDL, ECONOMIC INJURY DIS… | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | 1007223.0 | $1,007,223 | Joint national takedown: 40 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along … | |||||
| 9cbe8107-4177-46f3-bf21-f0398424b5d6 | 2026-09-15 | MIDDLE DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA JOINS DOJ FRAUD DIVISION, SBA,… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-mdla/pr/middle-district-louisi… | MDLA | USAO - Louisiana, Middle | false statements, conspiracy, wire fraud, false statement | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, ECONOMIC INJURY DISASTER … | 245000000.0 | $245,000,000 | 126985.16 | $126,985 | The Middle District of Louisiana announced multiple charges… | ||||
| 9cdca137-3efb-45fd-affd-82c63951a552 | 2026-09-14 | Western District of Washington joins DOJ Fraud Division, SB… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdwa/pr/western-district-washi… | WDWA | USAO - Washington, Western | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EIDL | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | Seattle –The Western District of Washington today announced… | |||||||
| 0b2d8f5a-2d75-4161-a171-0f3be4dd1f87 | 2026-09-14 | DOJ’s Fraud Division, SBA, and SBA OIG Target $245M in COVI… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdtn/pr/dojs-fraud-division-sb… | WDTN | USAO - Tennessee, Western | wire fraud, money laundering, conspiracy, false statements,… | PPP, EIDL, PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, ECONOMIC INJURY DIS… | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | WASHINGTON – Today, the Justice Department’s National Fraud… | ||||||
| 6700cac8-d2a1-4ba7-b5ad-3ed6624a68ac | 2026-09-14 | U.S. Attorney’s Office for Western District of Pennsylvania… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdpa/pr/us-attorneys-office-we… | WDPA | National Fraud Enforcement Division, USAO - Pennsylvania, W… | conspiracy, wire fraud, money laundering | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EMPLOYEE RETENTION CREDIT… | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | 120 months (10.0 yrs) | PITTSBURGH, Pa. - The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Wester… | |||||
| 15882043-0535-4b5a-84d2-379d9439ba24 | 2026-09-14 | Western District of Oklahoma Joins DOJ Fraud Division, SBA,… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdok/pr/western-district-oklah… | WDOK | USAO - Oklahoma, Western | conspiracy, wire fraud, false statements, bank fraud | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EIDL, ECONOMIC INJURY DIS… | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | 12 months (1.0 yrs) | 484266.0 | $484,266 | 40 U.S. Attorney’s Offices, along with 20 federal and state… | |||
| 9014cb38-ae81-42f8-8eb4-f4f28db86914 | 2026-09-14 | U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of North Ca… | https://www.justice.gov/usao-wdnc/pr/us-attorneys-office-we… | WDNC | National Fraud Enforcement Division, USAO - North Carolina,… | wire fraud, money laundering, false statements, conspiracy | PAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP, EIDL, EMPLOYEE RETENTION … | 39000000000.0 | $39,000,000,000 | 30 months (2.5 yrs) | 2329497.94 | $2,329,498 | CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western… |
First 10 of 2,879 rows · cells longer than 60 characters are cut with an ellipsis · shown as text, unformatted.
Files
| File | Rows | Size | SHA-256 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
doj-pandemic-fraud-press-index.csvCSV, UTF-8, header row | 2,879 | 2,943,973 B | 82d6f4a7c280ac8508333c3f39697dd428bcb4e176641a66f318938112965a02 | Download ↓ |
dictionary.csvdata dictionary, 17 rows | 17 | — | built with this page | Download ↓ |
Columns
| Column | Type, measured | Blank | Distinct | Range / values | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
uuid | text | 0 | 2,879 | The DOJ's identifier for the release. | |
date | date (ISO) | 6 | 1,234 | 2020-03-17 – 2026-09-15 | Release date, ISO format. |
title | text | 0 | 2,791 | Headline as published. | |
url | text | 0 | 2,879 | The justice.gov URL. | |
district | text | 256 | 93 | U.S. Attorney's Office district code (SDNY, MDFL, …) or the DOJ component that issued it. | |
office | text | 0 | 343 | Issuing component as the API lists it. | |
defendants | text | 644 | 1,407 | Defendant names as extracted; often a headline fragment rather than a legal name. | |
charges | text | 358 | 439 | Charge terms found in the text: wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, false statements, money laundering, and so on. | |
programs | text | 426 | 105 | Relief programs named in the text (PPP, EIDL, unemployment insurance, RRF, SVOG, ERC), as detected. | |
lenders | text | 2,750 | 37 | Lender or platform names found in the text, when any. | |
dollar_amount | number | 209 | 1,053 | 1K – 1922.4B · sum $133704.6B · median $1.5M | Largest dollar figure in the release, in dollars. |
dollar_amount_fmt | text | 209 | 1,050 | The same figure formatted for display. | |
sentence | text | 1,583 | 129 | Sentence as extracted from the text, for example 18 months (1.5 yrs). | |
restitution | number | 2,606 | 251 | 55 – 1922.4B · sum $1923B · median $476K | Restitution amount, in dollars, when stated. |
restitution_fmt | text | 2,606 | 251 | Restitution formatted for display. | |
case_type | text | 597 | 11 | sentenced (835), pleaded guilty (491), charged (444), indicted (178), convicted (114), arrested (92) | Stage keyword from the headline: charged, indicted, arrested, pleaded guilty, convicted, sentenced, settle, agrees to pay. Blank when none matched. |
summary | text | 1 | 2,860 | Opening text of the release. |
Type, blanks, distinct count, and range are measured on the file. The same table as CSV: dictionary.csv.
How to use it
Specific to this file, measured on it: keys, joins, encodings, units, and the values that will trip a naive count.
uuidis the key (0 duplicates) and is the join to the identity-theft classification (all 1,977 of its rows are here) and torecord_idvalues prefixeddoj:in the sentencing table. 84 rows share a headline with another row; join on the uuid, never the title.programsis a comma-separated list of the phrases matched, so one program can appear twice on a row as its full name and its abbreviation (the most common value isPAYCHECK PROTECTION PROGRAM, PPP). Split on commas and map both forms before counting.dollar_amountis the largest figure in the release, in dollars. 373 rows carry a figure above $1 billion, which is a program total from a roundup, not a case amount; the column maximum is $1.9 trillion.- 264 rows have a
sentencewhilecase_typeis charged or indicted: the statutory maximum the release recites, not a sentence imposed. Filter oncase_type = sentencedbefore using sentence text. - Blanks:
dateis empty on 6 rows,districton 245,defendantson 576,restitutionon 2,458. Blank means not found in the text, not zero. - LF line endings, UTF-8 with non-ASCII characters (curly quotes, accented names), no byte-order mark. The longest cell is 1,636 characters (
summary).
Before you quote a row
- Names are headline fragments.
defendantsis whatever the headline pattern captured; it can be a description (Cheshire Man) rather than a name, and multi-defendant releases list several or none. - Sentences in charging announcements are maximums. A
sentenceon a row whosecase_typeis charged or indicted is the statutory maximum the release recites, not a sentence imposed. - Dollar figures above $1 billion are program totals, not case amounts; they come from roundup releases.
- This is an index, not a docket. Go to the charging document or judgment before quoting a fact about a case; the court filings section holds many of them.
- Headline names and dollar figures require case-level verification.
Cite this table. Name the source vintage; the numbers depend on it.
DOJ pandemic-fraud press-release index, parsed from the Department of Justice press-release API (releases through 2026-07-04). Pandemic Darlings, release pandemic-darlings-data-v1-2026-07-10, https://pandemicdarlings.com/data/doj-pandemic-fraud-press-index/, SHA-256 82d6f4a7c280ac8508333c3f39697dd428bcb4e176641a66f318938112965a02