'You cannot hide': Biden administration to go after scammers who stole billions in COVID relief.
WASHINGTON – The Biden administration announced a series of measures Thursday to track down and punish fraudsters who scammed billions of taxpayer dollars that were supposed to provide relief to Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Three strike forces already are in place and have recovered millions of dollars in stolen relief funds, officials said.
The federal government distributed more than $5 trillion in pandemic relief under programs approved by Biden and former President Donald Trump.
From March 2020 to last January, at least 1,044 people pleaded guilty or were convicted of defrauding COVID relief programs, the GAO report said.
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