COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force Releases 2024 Report (April 9, 2024)

Summary

A Justice Department Office of Public Affairs press release dated Tuesday, April 9, 2024 announcing that the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force (CFETF) released its 2024 report. It states that member agencies' efforts have led to criminal charges against more than 3,500 defendants for losses of over $2 billion, more than 400 civil settlements and judgments of over $100 million, and over $1.4 billion seized or forfeited. The release quotes Attorney General Merrick B. Garland, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, who calls for extending the statute of limitations, and Director Michael C. Galdo. It states that the five strike forces have indicted 250 defendants and that the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force has disseminated over 100 leads tied to over $3 billion in suspected pandemic fraud.

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PRESS RELEASE



COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement
Task Force Releases 2024 Report
Tuesday, April 9, 2024

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

The Justice Department’s COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force (CFETF) today
released its 2024 report detailing the efforts of the task force and its member agencies
in response to widespread fraud involving many COVID-19 relief programs targeted by
fraudsters and other criminals who sought to exploit the government’s relief efforts for
their personal gain.

“Since I established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force three years ago, we
have charged more than 3,500 defendants, seized or forfeited over $1.4 billion in stolen
COVID-19 relief funds, and filed more than 400 civil lawsuits resulting in court
judgements and settlements,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “Our work is not
over. We will continue our efforts to investigate and prosecute pandemic relief fraud
and to recover the assets that have been stolen from American taxpayers.”

To date, the efforts of the task force’s member agencies has led to criminal charges
against more than 3,500 defendants for losses of over $2 billion, civil enforcement
actions resulting in more than 400 civil settlements and judgments of over $100 million,
and over $1.4 billion seized or forfeited.

“Working with law enforcement and the Inspector General community, the Department
of Justice has deployed a data-driven prosecution strategy to combat COVID-19 fraud—
to the tune of over 3,500 defendants charged and more than $1.4 billion seized or
forfeited,” said Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco. “But the time is now to ensure
law enforcement has what it needs to finish the job. The statute of limitations must be
extended and the necessary funding and data analytic tools secured for our prosecutors
to recover hundreds of millions of dollars more in fraud proceeds, bring remaining
offenders to justice, and disrupt criminal networks that continue to victimize our
citizens.”
“While I am incredibly proud of the work of the CFETF and the significant law
enforcement accomplishments, much work remains in the fight against COVID-19
fraud,” said Director Michael C. Galdo of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force.
“The CFETF and its member agencies have ongoing investigations into hundreds of
identity thieves, transnational fraud and money laundering networks, large-dollar
individual fraudsters, and the businesses that facilitated these crimes. CFETF member
agencies have improved their data analytics capabilities and are using these new skills to
investigate fraud more efficiently and effectively.”

In addition to the efforts noted above, the CFETF has established five strike forces to
focus on the most complex and harmful pandemic fraud—often committed by overseas,
organized, or violent actors. Those strike forces, located in the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices
across the country including the Districts of Maryland, New Jersey, Colorado, the
Southern District of Florida, and a joint task force co-located in the Eastern and Central
Districts of California, are responsible for indicting 250 defendants to date, including
gang members, inveterate fraudsters, and overseas rings committing a myriad of cyber-
enabled fraud against our citizens and government programs.

CFETF members also established the National Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task
Force, a first-of-its-kind task force that developed a data sharing and lead development
process within OCDETF’s International Organized Crime Intelligence Operation Center
(IOC-2), using data from pandemic relief programs. The NUIFTF has used that process to
disseminate over 100 leads and intelligence associated with over $3 billion in suspected
pandemic fraud.

In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task
Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department 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 CFETF members include Justice Department components, including the Criminal
Division, Civil Division, U.S. Attorneys, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, FBI, Organized
Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, Office of the Inspector General, National
Unemployment Insurance Fraud Task Force, and INTERPOL Washington; and key
interagency partners, including Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal
Investigations, U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and multiple
representatives of the Office of Inspector General community, including Department of
Labor, Department of Treasury, Tax Administration, Department of Homeland Security,
Small Business Administration, Department of Health and Human Services, Department
of Veterans Affairs, Social Security Administration, Federal Deposit Insurance
Corporation, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Federal Reserve Board, Special Inspector
General for Pandemic Relief, and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.

CFETF 2024 Report

Fact Sheet

Updated April 9, 2024

Topics
CORONAVIRUS

HEALTH CARE FRAUD
Components
Office of the Attorney General
Civil Division
Criminal Division
Criminal - Criminal Fraud Section
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
Office of the Deputy Attorney General
Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces
U.S. Attorneys (USAO)
USAO - California, Central
USAO - California, Eastern
USAO - Colorado
USAO - Florida, Southern
USAO - Maryland
USAO - New Jersey

Press Release Number: 24-414


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