During the pandemic, the federal government distributed a massive $4.2 trillion to local governments, businesses and people. Some of those funds were stolen, and one estimate puts the amount in the hundreds of billions of dollars.
Now, the government is trying to reclaim at least some of those stolen funds and prosecute the thieves.
In August 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it had charged over 3,000 defendants across the country with offenses related to COVID-19 fraud and seized over $1.4 billion in relief funds.
In Wisconsin, federal prosecutors have charged nearly 40 people with crimes related to COVID-19 fraud.