DOJ Charges 160 in $245 Million Business-Aid Fraud Crackdown

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 20

More than 160 defendants were charged in a DOJ summer surge targeting SBA and COVID-19 relief fraud, with prosecutors estimating about $245 million in intended taxpayer losses.
Forty-four U.S. attorney offices took part in the Heartland Fraud Surge from June through Sept. 1, which officials cast as a nationwide push to pursue fraud cases large and small.
Missouri prosecutors highlighted Jamie Gray's alleged scheme as a standout case, saying he used 29 applications and a stolen corporate identity to seek nearly $56 million in PPP and EIDL funds.
Gray received about $820,000, according to prosecutors, while the legitimate Fur Lives Matter business allegedly had no connection to him and did not know its identity was being used.
The crackdown is widening beyond federal loan cases: Missouri has launched Operation Show-Me the Money with state officials, while the SBA is suspending suspected borrowers and seeking repayments.