AP: Over $280 Billion In Pandemic Relief Was Stolen

The Associated Press reports:

Criminals and gangs grabbed the money. But so did a U.S. soldier in Georgia, the pastors of a defunct church in Texas, a former state lawmaker in Missouri and a roofing contractor in Montana. All of it led to the greatest grift in U.S. history, with thieves plundering billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid intended to combat the worst pandemic in a century and to stabilize an economy in free fall.

An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has so far disbursed in COVID relief aid. Most of the looted money was swiped from three large pandemic-relief initiatives launched during the Trump administration.

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You will surely recall that a group tasked by Congress to monitor pandemic relief accused Trump’s Treasury Sec. Steve Mnuchin of hindering their efforts by removing inspectors general from their oversight roles and by “limiting transparency” on how the funds were doled out.

About 10 percent of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has so far disbursed in COVID-relief aid was stolen or improperly distributed, an AP analysis finds. That number is certain to grow as investigators dig deeper into thousands of potential schemes. https://t.co/HEodN27oe7

— The Associated Press (@AP) June 12, 2023