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ARTICLE · 24 MAY 2021

US Attorney General: Task Force Will Combat COVID-19 Relief Fraud

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On May 17, 2021, the US Attorney General announced the establishment of a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force ("Task Force").

United StatesCriminal Law
Linda Shi
Linda Shi
Anastasiya K. Lobacheva
Anastasiya K. Lobacheva
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On May 17, 2021, the US Attorney General announced the establishment of a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force ("Task Force").1 Led by the Deputy Attorney General, the Task Force consists of entities within the Department of Justice ("DOJ"), including the US Attorneys, the FBI, and the Office of the Inspector General, as well as interagency partners such as the Departments of Labor, Treasury, Homeland Security, and Health and Human Services; the Social Security Administration; and the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee.2

According to the DOJ, the need to combat widespread fraud arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic drove the establishment of the Task Force. Individuals seeking to profit from the pandemic have sold counterfeit vaccines and personal protective equipment, inflated payrolls to obtain larger loans from the government, used shell companies to unlawfully divert government assistance, and improperly submitted loan applications in the names of

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