Potomac Floral Wholesale, Inc. and Tsur “Jacob” Reiss have agreed to pay the United States and State of Maryland $1,250,000.00 to resolve allegations that they caused the submission of false unemployment insurance (UI) claims at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The settlement agreement was announced by Erek L. Barron, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG); and Portia Y. Wu, the Secretary of Labor for the State of Maryland.
“Attempting to unjustly profit from a global pandemic is absolutely wrong,” said United States Attorney Erek Barron. “Unemployment insurance is meant for employees who need it when they are laid off from their jobs. During the early stages of COVID-19, the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program was designed to supplement traditional unemployment insurance for employees laid off during an unprecedented global emergency. Employers should not use tax dollars to shirk their responsibility to pay employees for their work.”
“The unemployment insurance (UI) program offered critical financial support to American workers who were unable to work due to the immense challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Troy W. Springer, Special Agent in Charge of the National Capital Region, U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General (DOL-OIG). “This civil settlement demonstrates the strong commitment, resolve, and partnership of the DOL-OIG and U.S. Attorney’s Office to hold accountable those who seek to unlawfully exploit the UI program at the expense of those who actually need it.” --->READ MORE HERE
A Pahokee man faces fraud allegations after he received tens of thousands of dollars in COVID-19 relief loans despite the fact he reportedly never had a business in his name nor was there a business at the address he used on the application.
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) filed its probable cause affidavit against Malik Hall in late May; however, he was not taken into custody until Wednesday morning, court records show. Hall, 26, was booked on a single count of organized scheme to defraud between $20,000 and $50,000.
According to the affidavit, the amount Hall reportedly borrowed cleared the $20,000 threshold by less than $1,000. He is accused of accepting $20,832 for the business he claimed to have – a business that did not have a name.
His applications for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program, along with other programs, listed a Pahokee address that matched the home address listed in the affidavit, PBSO reported. On the application, he reportedly listed himself as an independent contractor of Habbo Cleaning. Investigators indicated they could not find evidence that the money obtained was used to purchase products from that account, and only listed multiple money transfers he made. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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