Search

In fiscal year 2021-22, The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) administered 30 economic development programs through which it allocated $58.0 million in tax credits, awarded $91.3 million in grants and $4.8 million in loans, and authorized local governments to issue $53.4 million in bonds. A portion of these funds were provided through the CARES Act and were used to support the state’s response to the pandemic. Through their biennial financial audit and program evaluation of WEDC, the Wisconsin Legislative Audit Burau found that, among other things, five grants totaling $50,000...

The Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES) administers Mississippi’s unemployment benefits programs. With the influx of jobless claims and COVID relief aid as a result of the pandemic, total unemployment benefit claims increased from $59.6 million in FY 2019 to $2.1 billion in FY 2020. With this infusion of money came massive fraud and misspending. For example, from FY 2020 to FY 2021, known overpayments increased from $118 million to $474 million. The massive loss of money from Mississippi’s unemployment fund is partially the result of MDES bypassing or altering their own...

Telvin Breaux, 32, an inmate at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy and aggravated identity theft charges for leading a $25 million fraud against the California Employment Development Department (EDD) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Three of Breaux’s co-defendants, Fantasia Brown, 35, of Los Angeles, Shanice White, 29, of Hawthorne, and Holly White, 33, of Los Angeles, also pleaded guilty for their roles in the fraud.

U.S. District Judge Theodore D. Chuang sentenced Dion Rashaan Foxworth, age 42, of Washington, D.C., to 51 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for wire fraud related to an investment fraud scheme and bank fraud related to a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan. Judge Chuang also ordered Foxworth to pay restitution of $882,908.66.

U.S. Attorney Trini E. Ross announced today that two brothers, Larry Jordan, 45, of Lancaster, NY, and Sutukh El a/k/a Curtis Jordan a/k/a Hugo Hurt a/k/a Hugo Hermes Hurtington, 41, of Buffalo, NY, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge John L. Sinatra, Jr. to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud for their participation in a scheme to file fraudulent loan applications seeking forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The charge carries a maximum...