Recovers Over $512M in Fraudulent Unemployment Claims to U.S. Treasury — Department of Labor, June 16, 2026

Summary

This is a June 16, 2026 press release from the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General, announcing recovery of $512,138,478 in fraudulent CARES Act funds to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. The release says this marks the second major recovery from the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance, bringing the total of funds recovered from the state to more than $1 billion. It states that, working with a financial institution, Maryland was able to identify and freeze the suspicious funds that were flagged by the Department and its Office of Inspector General. Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling and Inspector General Anthony D'Esposito are quoted.

Summary drafted by a model from the document's text below and checked by script against that text before publication. It is a navigation aid, not a reading of what the document proves. Where AI is used

Full text

Press Releases

U.S. Department of Labor Office of Inspector General Recovers Over $512M in Fraudulent Unemployment Claims to U.S. Treasury

Second major recovery from Maryland brings total fraudulent CARES Act funds returned to over $1 billion

June 16, 2026 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor and its Office of Inspector General today announced recovery of $512,138,478 in fraudulent CARES Act funds to the U.S. Department of the Treasury. This marks the second major recovery from the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance, bringing the total of funds recovered from the state to more than $1 billion.

“Today’s return of hard-earned American taxpayer dollars represents more than a financial recovery – it reinforces our commitment to protecting American workers and the programs they depend on,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling. “This result was made possible through close coordination with the department’s Office of Inspector General. Together, we are restoring trust and integrity in these programs and putting money back where it belongs – in the pockets of hardworking Americans.”

These recoveries are the direct result of the Maryland Department of Labor’s continued efforts to strengthen program integrity and combat fraud. Working with a financial institution, Maryland was able to identify and freeze the suspicious funds that were flagged by the Department and its Office of Inspector General.

“This is accountability in action – half a billion dollars in stolen taxpayer funds – identified, frozen, and returned to the Treasury. Through continued collaboration with the department and Acting Secretary Sonderling, we were able to produce real, measurable results for the American people,” said Inspector General Anthony D’Esposito. “This recovery represents a major victory for the American taxpayer and is a clear demonstration of our commitment to clawing back every stolen dollar.”

For additional information on DOL OIG, please visit oig.dol.gov . If you suspect wrongdoing
involving DOL programs or operations, contact the DOL-OIG Hotline at (800) 347-3756 or oig.dol.gov/hotlinecontact.htm .

Download Press Release .

For Media Inquiries:

Stone.Olivia@oig.dol.gov

(202) 693-7100

Follow Us:

X: @DOLOIG

Instagram: @usdoloig

Facebook: @usdoloig

File and source

File

2026-06-16-U-S-Department-of-Labor-Office-of-Inspector-General-Recovers-Over-512M-in-Fraudulent-Unemployment-C.html

Size

37,298 bytes

SHA-256

9f61f63035a3a7e555e7bee139843f6b2ccfaabae67f3c128916cd7590f660f9

Our copy

2026-06-16-U-S-Department-of-Labor-Office-of-Inspector-General-Recovers-Over-512M-in-Fraudulent-Unemployment-C.html

Original

www.oig.dol.gov