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Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources Properly Disbursed Funds but Was Slow in Expending Fishery Disaster Assistance Funds
We audited the Puerto Rico’s Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (PRDNER’s) use of Federal Emergency and Pandemic Relief Financial Assistance Funds. Our audit objective was to determine whether federal funds received by PRDNER to support its fisheries in recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic1 and damages caused by several hurricanes were properly disbursed and used for their intended purpose. We conducted this audit in response to a congressional request, and answers to congressional questions about disaster relief funds are included in this report. Overall, we...
Approved Disaster Assistance Loans Matching COVID‐19 EIDLs and PPP Loans with Fraud Hold Codes
The Office of Inspector General is issuing this evaluation report to determine whether the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) approved disaster loan applications with related Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) or Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with fraud hold codes.In October 2022, SBA established an informal review process to match disaster assistance loan applications to pandemic loans that had fraud hold codes based on taxpayer identification numbers. In August 2023, the agency began transitioning to a new system that uses fraud...
Laplace Resident Sentenced to Twelve Months for Preparing and Submitting Fraudulent Applications for Cares Act Financial Assistance and Post-Hurricane Ida Disaster Assistance
NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that LYNN SCHOFIELD, age 60, a resident of LaPlace, La., was sentenced on March 19, 2024 by United States District Judge Wendy B. Vitter to twelve (12) months in prison, with six (6) months to be spent in home detention, after previously pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 371 and 1343. Judge Vitter also sentenced SCHOFIELD to three (3) years of supervised release and ordered her to repay $282,650 in restitution to the Small Business Administration (“SBA”). SCHOFIELD...
SBA’s Handling of Identity Theft in the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) is issuing this Evaluation report to notify Small Business Administration (SBA) officials of significant matters regarding its handling of complaints of identity theft in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program.We recommend the Administrator to direct the Associate Administrator for the Office of Disaster Assistance, the Chief Financial Officer for the Office of Performance Management and Chief Financial Officer, and the Associate Administrator for the Office of Capital Access to:1. Develop a process to maintain...