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| AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File |
For all of the five-year remembrances of COVID-19, few have paused to recall the cyber smash-and-grab that hoovered billions of dollars out of state unemployment offices. Inmates in California grabbed thousands of dollars from prison library computers. Government-aligned Russian and Chinese crime gangs did the really heavy lifting, making off with billions more. The Government Accountability Office estimates total state and federal losses to be between $100 billion and $135 billion. Outside experts say that number could run as high as $400 billion. Because of the complexity of the crimes, very little has been recovered.
It’s probably childish to wish that the nation’s lawmakers were governed by something like the MPAA’s Hays Code provision requiring movies to show that crime never pays. But the five-year statute of limitations is ticking down on the greatest criminal fraud in the nation’s history, and neither the president nor the Senate seems eager to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.
The House did its job in March, when members approved the Pandemic Unemployment Fraud Enforcement Act (HR 1156), giving investigators another five years to track down and file federal criminal charges related to the fraud. Their 295–127–10 vote was a rare instance of bipartisanship in the Capitol, and it came just two weeks before March 27, the date in 2020 on which the first crimes took place.
“This is a must-pass bill,” the bill’s author, Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (R., Mo.), said during debate. “The statute of limitations for these investigations starts to run out in 16 days, on March 27. If we don’t extend it, the criminals who stole money from the pockets of taxpayers — and continue to do so to this day will get away. . . . A no vote is a vote to allow these criminals to keep what they stole.”
The bill arrived in the Senate one day later but has languished ever since. Its prognosis is grim. Multiple Capitol Hill sources said that Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R., S.D.) fears that Democrats, unable to filibuster the budget bill passed by the House last week, will instead filibuster HR 1156. That could block any public debate on the budget. They say the House bill will likely die without ever getting a floor vote.
That is some good news — for America’s enemies.
Where It All Started
When COVID hit the U.S. in March 2020, the makeshift masks went up and the government-mandated closures came down hard. Suddenly out of work, Americans took to their state unemployment offices for aid. As demand for assistance overwhelmed state unemployment trust funds, frantic local officials begged for federal action. --->READ MORE HERE
A Rochester business owner has been charged amid a Chicago man’s guilty plea to his part in a COVID relief fraud scheme — where was paid more than $280,000.
Prosecutors said 54-year-old Joseph Giannini submitted fake application to programs which were meant to provide funding to businesses that were negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Giannini is said to have applied for seven fraudulent loans for various businesses, making false representations about profits and employee payrolls for those businesses. A total of nearly $607,000 in loans was applied for, where he was actually paid $280,135.
Prosecutors note one fraudulent applications was submitted on behalf of Spin Marketing Inc. in Rochester, which is owned by co-defendant Ann Spinosa. Spinosa is said to be currently charged by federal indictment. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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