Criminals Spent COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits on Drugs, Weapons: Department of Labor OIG
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General (OIG) has said that criminals stole billions of dollars in unemployment money that was issued during the COVID-19 pandemic, and used some of it to purchase drugs and weapons.
Congress in March 2020 launched an unemployment aid program for Americans who were unable to work as a result of lockdowns, under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.
However, the OIG has found that multiple states failed to protect some of the funds from improper payments, including fraud, and that Pandemic Unemployment Assistance was granted to individuals who were not actually eligible….