Reports

PROVIDENCE – A Massachusetts man who failed to appear in federal court in Rhode Island and who allegedly faked his own death after being charged and arraigned on fraud and conspiracy charges for his alleged participation in a conspiracy to file bank loan applications fraudulently seeking more than a half-million dollars in forgivable loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Providence.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces the arrest and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Casey David Crowther (35, Fort Myers) with making a false statement to a lending institution. If convicted, Crowther faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison.

A Michigan man was arrested today in connection with a wire fraud scheme involving $3.1 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Two Florida neighbors were charged in a complaint unsealed today with wire fraud and false statements for their alleged participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.1 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

A Nevada man has been arrested in connection with allegations that he fraudulently obtained approximately $500,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, and then laundered the funds through friends and family in order to buy a house.

A North Carolina man was charged by criminal complaint unsealed today for fraudulently seeking more than $414,000 in COVID-19 relief guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

As required by section 8L of the Inspector General Act of 1978, as amended, the Inspectors General for the Department of Defense, Department of State, and USAID work together to report quarterly to Congress on every overseas contingency operation’s progress and corresponding oversight activities.  Starting in the second quarter of fiscal year 2020, these quarterly reports include reporting on the COVID-19 outbreaks in Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, and the Philippines, as well as the U.S. government response to them.

USAID’s branding and marking efforts enhance the visibility and value of U.S. foreign assistance and are intended to inform beneficiaries that aid comes from the American people. Unfortunately, according to the Agency, beneficiaries of the billions of dollars of foreign assistance provided by the United States every year often have little to no awareness that the aid they receive is provided by the American people.  The objectives of this audit are to determine the extent to which USAID: (1) has policies and procedures to ensure compliance with statutory branding and marking requirements and (2) provided information and oversight to ensure implementers complied with branding and marking requirements. Given particular interest from Congress amid the ongoing pandemic, this audit will consider the impact of COVID-19 under both objectives as appropriate.