The Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced today that a federal grand jury in Virginia returned an indictment charging 23 individuals for their roles in a large conspiracy to defraud the United States government by filing claims for nearly $500,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits.  According to DOJ, the defendants conspired to file claims for pandemic unemployment relief for ineligible individuals.  In addition to the individuals who have been indicted, DOJ reports that eight co-conspirators have already entered into plea agreements with the government.  This wide-ranging indictment comes on the heels of DOJ’s announcement that it intends to focus on identifying and prosecuting CARES Act and other pandemic-related fraud schemes.

Read the DOJ Press Release here.

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