The recently passed CARES Act provides for billions of dollars
in economic assistance to millions of individuals and businesses
negatively affected by the ever-evolving and escalating toll of the
Covid-19 pandemic. While one of the laudable goals of the Act is to
quickly get money into the hands of the people and businesses who
need it most, the government has already begun allocating resources
for prosecuting both the unscrupulous, who take advantage of the
available programs, and the unwitting, who fail to adhere to the
reporting and eligibility requirements.
Even before the passage of the CARES Act, Attorney General
William Barr sent a Memo announcing that the Department of
Justice will "prioritize the investigation and prosecution of
Coronavirus-related fraud schemes." Hundreds, if not thousands
of white-collar indictments stemming from outright fraud will
certainly result from the DOJ's efforts, but what about those
who make false statements without malicious or
