Month: July 2024

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Benjamin Carpenter, also known as Abu Hamza, 34, of Knoxville, Tennessee, was sentenced today to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) in connection with providing translation services to ISIS, a designated foreign terrorist organization.

“For years, this defendant led a global digital media operation to distribute pro-ISIS propaganda, promoting the group’s radical message of terror and pushing it to every corner of the world,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s conduct and the Justice Department’s commitment to identifying and holding accountable those who would provide material support to foreign terrorist organizations.”

“Combating terrorism and keeping our communities safe are the highest priorities of the United States Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Francis M. Hamilton III for the Eastern District of Tennessee. “This case deals a serious blow to the expansion of ISIS and its broken message of hatred and senseless violence.” 

“With today’s sentencing, Carpenter is being held accountable for betraying his country and helping ISIS terrorists,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI’s National Security Branch. “He led a propaganda machine which called for war against U.S. and allied forces through suicide bombings and other means. The FBI and our partners will relentlessly pursue and bring to justice terrorists who devote their lives to hurting American citizens.”

According to court documents, on Oct. 19, 2023, following an eight-day trial in U.S. District Court, a jury convicted Carpenter of attempting to provide material support to ISIS. The evidence presented at trial demonstrated that Carpenter served as the leader of Ahlut-Tawhid Publications, an international organization of pro-ISIS “munasirin” (i.e., supporters), dedicated to translating, producing and distributing ISIS propaganda throughout the world. For years, Carpenter, using his alias Abu Hamza, published a large body of ISIS media, including his weekly newsletter entitled From Dabiq to Rome, a periodical that celebrated the deaths of American soldiers, glorified suicide bombers and called for open war against the United States and its Western allies, among other pro-ISIS propaganda themes. In 2020 and 2021, Carpenter contacted an individual he believed to be affiliated with ISIS’ central media bureau and provided translation services for a project intended to relaunch Al-Hayat Media Center, ISIS’ official foreign-language media arm. Unbeknownst to him, that individual was an FBI undercover employee who had infiltrated Carpenter’s group. 

The FBI Knoxville Field Office is investigating the case, with assistance from FBI Field Offices from across the country.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kyle J. Wilson and Casey T. Arrowood for the Eastern District of Tennessee and Trial Attorney Charles J. Kovats Jr. of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section prosecuted the case.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Maxim Marchenko, 52, was sentenced today to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release for his role in procuring dual-use, military grade OLED micro-displays for Russian end users.

“Today’s sentence holds Mr. Marchenko accountable for his role in a procurement syndicate that funneled U.S.-manufactured military-grade microelectronics to end users in Russia, illegally delivering controlled technologies worth hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen of the Justice Department’s National Security Division. “The Justice Department remains relentlessly focused on dismantling illicit procurement networks led by individuals like the defendant, who use their business skills and connections to advance the Russian war agenda.”

“The transshipment of military-grade microelectronics through Hong Kong to Russia helps fuel the engine of Russia’s war machine,” said Assistant Secretary of Commerce Matthew S. Axelrod for Export Enforcement. “Today’s sentencing is just the latest example of our unceasing efforts to target and disrupt illegal Russian procurement networks.”

“This office will stop at nothing to hold accountable those who seek to circumvent our laws to gain access to some of our most sensitive technologies,” said U.S. Attorney Damian Williams for the Southern District of New York. “Today’s sentence should be a reminder that no number of shell companies or obfuscation will stop this office in its pursuit of those who seek to illicitly gain access to controlled technologies.” 

“Marchenko and his co-conspirators operated an international smuggling network of sensitive microelectronics used in military gear and other weapons systems,” said Executive Assistant Director Robert Wells of the FBI National Security Branch. “Today’s sentencing demonstrates the FBI’s resolve in doing our part to protect national security and prevent American military technology from being diverted to foreign adversaries and hostile nation states.”

According to court documents, Marchenko is a Russian national who resides in Hong Kong and operates several Hong Kong-based shell companies, including Alice Components Co. Ltd. (Alice Components), Neway Technologies Limited (Neway) and RG Solutions Limited (RG Solutions). Marchenko and two co-conspirators, who are also Russian nationals, operate an illicit procurement network in Russia, Hong Kong and elsewhere overseas. This procurement network has fraudulently obtained from U.S. distributors large quantities of dual-use, military grade microelectronics, specifically OLED micro-displays, on behalf of Russia-based end users. To carry out this scheme, Marchenko and his co-conspirators used shell companies based in Hong Kong and other deceptive means to conceal from U.S. government agencies and U.S. distributors that the OLED micro-displays were destined for Russia. The technology that Marchenko and his co-conspirators fraudulently procured have significant military applications, such as in rifle scopes, night vision goggles, thermal optics and other weapon systems.

To perpetrate the scheme, Marchenko and other members of the conspiracy acquired the dual-use OLED micro-displays from U.S.-based distributors using Marchenko’s Hong Kong-based shell companies, including Alice Components, Neway and RG Solutions. Members of the conspiracy, including Marchenko, procured these sensitive microelectronics by falsely representing to the U.S. distributors (who, in turn, are required to report to U.S. agencies) that Alice Components was sending the shipments to end users located in China, Hong Kong and other countries outside of Russia for use in electron microscopes for medical research or hunting rifles. In reality, the OLED micro-displays were destined for end users in Russia. Marchenko and other members of the conspiracy concealed the true final destination (Russia) from U.S. distributors for the purpose of causing false statements to the U.S. agencies.

To conceal the fact that these OLED micro-displays were destined for Russia, Marchenko and other members of the conspiracy worked together to transship the illicitly procured OLED micro-displays by using pass-through entities principally operated by Marchenko in third countries, such as Hong Kong. Marchenko then caused the OLED micro-displays to be shipped to the ultimate destination in Russia using, among other entities, a freight forwarder known to provide freight forwarding services to Russia. In addition, Marchenko and other members of the conspiracy used Hong Kong-based shell companies, principally operated by Marchenko, to conceal the fact that payments for the OLED micro-displays were coming from Russia. In total, between in or about May 2022 and in or about August 2023, Marchenko’s shell companies funneled more than $1.6 million to the United States in support of the procurement network’s efforts to smuggle the OLED micro-displays to Russia.

The FBI, Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security and Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service investigated the case with assistance from the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer N. Ong and Shiva H. Logarajah for the Southern District of New York prosecuted the case, with assistance from Trial Attorney Garrett Coyle of the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section.

Today’s actions were coordinated through the Justice Department’s Task Force KleptoCapture and the Justice and Commerce Departments’ Disruptive Technology Strike Force. Task Force KleptoCapture is an interagency law enforcement task force dedicated to enforcing the sweeping sanctions, export restrictions and economic countermeasures that the United States has imposed, along with its allies and partners, in response to Russia’s unprovoked military invasion of Ukraine. The Disruptive Technology Strike Force is an interagency law enforcement strike force co-led by the Departments of Justice and Commerce designed to target illicit actors, protect supply chains and prevent critical technology from being acquired by authoritarian regimes and hostile nation states.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Remarks as Prepared for Delivery

Good afternoon. I want to first start off by thanking Daniel Ortega for that most gracious introduction. And I also want to thank UnidosUS. I want to thank you for your leadership, your advocacy and for the invitation to be with you today.

As mentioned, my name is Kristen Clarke, Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division at the United States Department of Justice. And it is such an honor to be here to address fellow foot soldiers in the fight against racism and discrimination.

Let me begin by expressing my immense gratitude for all of the work that you do to break through social and economic barriers affecting Latino communities. Thanks to you, more Latinos and English learners have access to high-quality education, to health coverage, to tax credits, to home ownership and to work. They can obtain clear, comprehensive immigration guidance and can exercise the most fundamental of rights in any democracy: the right to vote.

At the Justice Department, we are keenly aware that Latinos make up nearly one fifth of our country’s population, and that the Latino community is the second-largest ethnic group in the country today. This means that all of the work to advance civil rights and equal justice that I will speak to today affects this community. And I want you to know that we are using every tool available to confront injustice.          

Hate and racism have fanned into flames in recent years, with hate crimes that target people for race or ethnicity making up the highest percentage of these crimes — more than all other categories combined. That is why we have stepped up our efforts to combat this pernicious issue.

Bigotry, racism and hatred have no place in our society today. Since January of 2021, we have charged more than 120 defendants with hate crimes in over 110 cases. This includes securing 90 consecutive life sentences for the man who killed 23 people and wounded 22 others in the heinous and tragic El Paso Walmart mass shooting in 2019. This shooting was one of the most horrific acts of white nationalist driven violence in modern times. I have spent time with and looked into the eyes of the survivors. Their pain is palpable. We remember those who lost their lives and the survivors and will ensure that they are never forgotten. We have also secured convictions and severe sentences for a Texas man who used the Grindr app to target gay men, many of them Latino, to rob and assault them.

We also prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking and forced labor schemes — crimes that target vulnerable people, and that too often prey on people from Latin America. We recently secured convictions of three racketeers and the owner of a farm labor company who had exploited Mexican H-2A workers, promising access to the American dream but instead subjecting them to grueling farm labor for upwards of seven days a week, confiscating their passports and threatening them with arrest and deportation. We also secured a conviction of three men who leveraged cruelty, violence, threats of violence and false debts to force Cuban women into commercial sex. Not only is such a scheme unlawful and dehumanizing, but it also terrorizes and dehumanizes the women, who are unable to break free. These men are now behind bars and must pay nearly half a million dollars of restitution to the survivors.

We’re also working to ensure constitutional policing across the country. And just last month, we released findings that the City of Phoenix and the Phoenix Police Department engage in conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law. We found that the police department discriminates against Latino, Black and Native American people. For instance, though Hispanic and white people make up roughly even shares of the Phoenix population, the police department cites or arrests Hispanics for traffic offenses at three times the rate of white people and cites or arrests Hispanic people seven to 12 times as often for offenses such as squealing tires and improper window tinting.

We are also working to ensure that Latinos have access to economic opportunities. And one way that we are doing this work is by aggressively fighting modern-day redlining to ensure that all communities have equal access to banks and financial institutions. That’s why the Justice Department, under the leadership of Attorney General Merrick Garland, launched the nationwide Combating Redlining Initiative in 2021. To date, we have secured over $122 million in relief for impacted communities across the country. In fact, in 2023, we secured the largest redlining settlement in the department’s history — a $31 million settlement with City National Bank in Los Angeles for systematically denying mortgages to the Latinx and Black communities there. That relief is now being distributed through a loan subsidy fund that is helping to provide Latino families access to the American Dream.

We are also working to address predatory lending. For example, this past December we sued Colony Ridge, a Texas-based developer and lender, that was operating an illegal land sales scheme that targeted tens of thousands of Latino borrowers with false statements and predatory loans. Colony Ridge aggressively markets flood-prone land without water, sewer or electrical infrastructure to Spanish-speaking borrowers. Then the company pressures borrowers into mortgages that they can’t afford and asks them to sign closing documents that were entirely in English. Many of these loans ended in foreclosure, at which point the company repurchased the properties and sold them again to new Latino borrowers. The Justice Department and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau are working together to end this illegal scheme and to obtain restitution for those who were scammed and victimized.

I would be remiss if I didn’t say a brief word about our work safeguard voting rights. For example, we secured a win in Arizona where we challenged a law that required people to list their birthplace and to provide unlawful and discriminatory proof of citizenship when registering to vote. In all, since January of 2021, we have filed 32 statements of interest in courts across the country to protect the right to vote, securing consent decrees in New Jersey and Rhode Island under the language access provisions of the Voting Rights Act to ensure that Spanish-language election materials are made available at the polls. This election season, as in every election season, we urge you to speak up and report potential discrimination complaints to the Justice Department. Every eligible Latino American in our country should be able to exercise their voice in our democracy.

And language should never be a barrier to exercising any of our fundamental civil rights. To that end, we have secured resolutions with state courts in Oklahoma, Texas, Florida, South Dakota and New York, to ensure that they provide free interpreter services and address other language barriers. We’ve worked with police department across the country to ensure that those who receive federal funds are able to serve and protect everyone in their community, including those who are limited English proficient.

I want to close by sharing the words of Justice Sonia Sotomayor, “There are no bystanders in life. Our humanity makes us each part of something greater than ourselves.”

I hope this convention has been a fountain of hope and rejuvenation for you. I hope you leave here inspired to find new ways to open up the gates of justice, opportunity and equity for Latino communities across our country. And I want you to know that the Justice Department will be standing beside you every step of the way. Thank you so much for having me here today.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Gentiva, successor to Kindred at Home, has agreed to pay $19.428 million to resolve allegations that Kindred at Home and related entities (Kindred) knowingly submitted false claims and knowingly retained overpayments for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible to receive hospice benefits under various federal health care programs. Gentiva’s hospice operations, headquartered in Atlanta, include entities that previously operated Kindred at Home hospice locations under the names Avalon, Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon.

“The hospice benefit under Medicare and other federal health care programs provides critical services to some of the most vulnerable patients,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “The department will ensure that this important benefit is used to assist those who need it, and not as an opportunity to line the pockets of those who seek to abuse it.”

The settlement resolves allegations made by the United States and the State of Tennessee in a consolidated complaint filed in 2021 against certain Kindred related entities alleging that, from 2010 until February 2020, the defendants knowingly submitted or caused to be submitted false claims for hospice services provided to Avalon hospice patients in Tennessee who were ineligible for the Medicare or Medicaid hospice benefit because they were not terminally ill. The settlement also resolves the complaint’s allegations that the defendants improperly concealed or avoided Avalon’s obligation to repay those hospice claims.

In addition, the settlement resolves allegations that certain Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon hospice locations knowingly submitted, or caused to be submitted, false claims for hospice services provided to patients who were ineligible for hospice benefits under Medicare and other federal health care programs because the patients were not terminally ill. Those hospice locations were Kindred’s locations in Warwick, Rhode Island; Beaumont, Texas; and Independence, Missouri; SouthernCare New Beacon’s location in Demopolis, Alabama; and SouthernCare’s locations in Daphne, Alabama; Mobile, Alabama; South Bend, Indiana; and Youngstown, Ohio. The settlement also resolves allegations that those Kindred, SouthernCare and SouthernCare New Beacon locations knowingly and improperly concealed or avoided obligations to repay the foregoing hospice claims.

Further, the settlement resolves allegations that SouthernCare New Beacon allegedly violated the Anti-Kickback Statute by willfully paying renumeration to a consulting physician, between Oct. 1, 2016, and Oct. 1, 2022, to induce hospice referrals of Medicare beneficiaries to its Gadsden, Alabama, location. The settlement of those allegations stems from a voluntary self-disclosure made by New Beacon Healthcare Group LLC doing business as SouthernCare New Beacon Hospice. The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering, paying, soliciting or receiving remuneration to induce referrals of items or services covered by Medicare, Medicaid and other federally funded health care programs. It is intended to ensure that medical providers’ judgments are not compromised by improper financial incentives and are instead based on the best interests of their patients.

“Hospice provides vital care and support for terminally ill patients and their families. Medicare’s and TennCare’s eligibility requirements ensure that federal and state health care money is properly used to support hospice programs,” said U.S. Attorney Henry C. Leventis for the Middle District of Tennessee. “We are committed to holding accountable health care companies and providers who prioritize profits over patient care by ignoring these requirements.”

“This office remains committed to safeguarding public monies,” said U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett for the Western District of Kentucky. “I commend the work of all those in the department who have made this successful settlement possible and truly appreciate the strong working relationships that exist between the United States Attorneys’ Offices, the Civil Division’s Fraud Section and our law enforcement partners.”  

“My office remains determined to ensure that federal funding for essential health care, like the hospice care at issue in this investigation, goes to the patients who need it, rather than to health care companies who seek to exploit those patients for profit,” said U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha for the District of Rhode Island. “Today’s result reflects a concerted effort by this office and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices around the country, working alongside the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, and our law enforcement partners, to help to guarantee that Medicare funds are directed where they belong and that high-quality hospice care is available for patients and their families in the future.”

“Hospice care is special end-of-life care intended to provide comfort for terminally ill patients. The decision to provide hospice services should be prompted by a patient’s terminally ill medical diagnosis, not a hospice provider’s desire to increase profits,” said U.S. Attorney Todd Gee for the Southern District of Mississippi. “The continued work of the department and our law enforcement partners is critical to the integrity of these important programs. I appreciate the work of all involved in this significant case.”

“Our office is committed to protecting federal healthcare programs like the Medicare hospice benefit from false claims” said U.S. Attorney Sean Costello for the Southern District of Alabama. “We will hold accountable any providers that abuse taxpayer dollars.”

“The integrity of hospice care is critical to the millions of patients receiving these services,” said Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “We, along with our law enforcement partners, will continue to ensure that providers who focus on personal financial gain rather than providing medically necessary, high-quality hospice care will be held accountable.”

The Medicaid program is funded jointly by the state and federal governments. As a result of the settlement announced today, the federal government will receive $18,956,151.32, the State of Tennessee will receive $448,800 and the State of Ohio will receive $23,618.68.

The settlement includes the resolution of claims in nine lawsuits brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by various current and former Kindred employees. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam cases are captioned: United States ex rel. Pence, et al. v. Curo Health Services Holdings, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:13-00672 (M.D. Tenn.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Anderson et al. v. Curo Health Services, LLC d/b/a Avalon Hospice, Civil Action No. 3:20-cv-00168 (M.D. Tenn.); United States ex rel. Riar v. Kindred Healthcare, Inc., et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-CV-52 (W.D. Ky.); United States ex rel. Didde, et al. v. Kindred Healthcare Inc. et al., Civil Action No. 19-2321-JWB-JPO (D. Kan.); United States ex rel. Mut v. Gentiva Certified Healthcare Corp. D/B/A Kindred at Home, Civil Action No. 1:21-cv-00425-JJM-PAS (D.R.I.); United States ex rel. Harris v. SouthernCare, Inc., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTW-LGI (S.D. Miss.); United States,, et al. ex rel. Roy v. Curo Health Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 3:18-cv-643-HTA-LRA (S.D. Miss.); U.S. ex rel. Petrey v. Curo HealthCare Services, LLC, et al., Civil Action No. 1:19-CV-00617 (S.D. Ala.), and United States ex rel. Medved, et al. v. SouthernCare, Inc. D/B/A SouthernCare, et al., Civil Action No. 2:23-cv-3345 (S.D. Ohio). The share of the settlement to be received by the whistleblowers has not yet been determined.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Kentucky, District of Kansas, District of Rhode Island, Southern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Alabama and Southern District of Ohio, with assistance from HHS-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, the Office of the Tennessee Attorney General and the Office of the Ohio Attorney General.

The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrates the government’s emphasis on combating health care fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse and mismanagement can be reported to HHS at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).

Trial Attorney William E. Olson of the Civil Division’s Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wynn M. Shuford for the Middle District of Tennessee, Jessica R.C. Malloy and William F. Campbell for the Western District of Kentucky, Jon P. Fleenor for the District of Kansas, Kevin Love Hubbard for the District of Rhode Island, Deidre Lamppin Colson for the Southern District of Mississippi, Nina T. Herring for the Southern District of Alabama and W. Hunter West and Michael J. T. Downey for the Southern District of Ohio handled the matter.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.

Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division

Hemisphere GNSS (USA) Inc., a satellite global positioning system manufacturer in Arizona that was purchased by CNH Industrial in 2023, has agreed to pay $2.6 million to settle allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by knowingly providing false information to apply for and receive forgiveness of a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan to which the company was not entitled.

Congress created the PPP in March 2020, as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, to provide emergency financial support to millions of Americans suffering the economic effects caused by the pandemic. The CARES Act authorized billions of dollars in forgivable loans to small businesses struggling to pay employees and other expenses. In 2021, Congress offered a second round of forgivable PPP loans through the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act. When applying for PPP loans, borrowers were required to certify the truthfulness and accuracy of all information provided in their loan applications.

In February 2021, Hemisphere applied for a second round PPP loan and certified that it was eligible to receive the loan. Among other certifications, Hemisphere represented that no “entity created in or organized under the laws of the People’s Republic of China” owned or held 20% or more of an economic interest in Hemisphere. The company also certified that it did not retain as a board member a person who is a resident of the People’s Republic of China. At the time of its application, however, both of these certifications were allegedly false. For this reason, Hemisphere was not eligible for the second round PPP loan it received. After receiving this PPP loan, Hemisphere sought and received forgiveness of the total loan amount.

“PPP loans were an important but finite resource available to help eligible small businesses retain employees and keep their doors open,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Brian M. Boynton, head of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “When ineligible entities improperly sought PPP loans or forgiveness of those loans, they reduced the availability of this critical support for eligible businesses.”

“Legitimate PPP loans saved small businesses across America,” said U.S. Attorney Gary M. Restaino for the District of Arizona. “But not everyone used the program as intended. Our office will continue to hold accountable those business and individuals who misused the PPP program, as the settlement announced today reflects.”

“The settlement in this matter demonstrates the excellent results achieved through the combined efforts of SBA and the Department of Justice to uncover and forcefully respond to PPP misconduct,” said General Counsel Therese Meers of the Small Business Administration (SBA). “The federal government is strongly committed to identifying and aggressively pursuing any instances of fraud or misconduct within the Paycheck Protection Program.”

The civil settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by GNGH2 Inc. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. GNGH2, Inc. v. Hemisphere GNSS (USA) Incorporated, 2:22-cv-00224 (D. Arizona). GNGH2 will receive $260,000 as its share of the settlement.

The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona, with assistance from SBA’s Office of General Counsel and Office of the Inspector General.

Trial Attorney John F. Schifalacqua of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Anne E. Nelson for the District of Arizona handled the matter.

On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Justice Department in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The task force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international actors committing civil and criminal fraud and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the department’s response to the pandemic, please visit www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud affecting COVID-19 government relief programs can be reported by visiting the webpage of the Civil Division’s Fraud Section, which can be found here. Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can also report it by calling the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only. There has been no determination of liability.