The ERC is a legitimate, refundable tax credit designed to help businesses that continued to pay employees while they were shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic or that experienced a significant decline in gross receipts...more
8/21/2024
/ Audits ,
CARES Act ,
Cooperation ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Deadlines ,
Employee Retention ,
Fraud ,
Internal Revenue Code (IRC) ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Relief ,
Voluntary Disclosure
The Internal Revenue Service has adjusted its moratorium on processing Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) claims, announcing last week it will begin processing claims filed between September 14, 2023 and January 31, 2024. In...more
8/13/2024
/ Audits ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Employee Retention ,
Fraud ,
Investigations ,
IRS ,
Tax Credits ,
Tax Relief ,
Voluntary Disclosure
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued a news release identifying five new signs that a business’s Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) may be incorrect. It has also begun issuing a third round of letters denying...more
8/9/2024
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Employee Retention ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
IRS ,
IRS Independent Office of Appeals ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Tax Credits ,
Wage and Hour
The March 22 deadline for applying to the IRS Voluntary Disclosure Program (VDP) to repay improperly claimed Employee Retention Credits (ERC) at a discount is just around the corner. The VDP requires businesses to repay only...more
In its first enforcement action related to COVID-19 government aid programs, the Federal Reserve Board recently announced that it has fined New York-based Popular Bank $2.3 million for processing Paycheck Protection Program...more
2/9/2023
/ Borrowers ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Reserve ,
Fraud ,
Lenders ,
Loans ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
The House Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis, chaired by Rep. James E. Clyburn, released the final report on its investigation into the use and distribution of $5 trillion in federal pandemic-related aid,...more
Continued Internal Revenue Service processing delays are preventing businesses from receiving pandemic relief benefits, according to the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). And at the same time,...more
The Justice Department recently announced new charges, convictions and sentencings in its ongoing initiative to target pandemic-related fraud, emphasizing the government’s commitment to identify and hold accountable those who...more
The Justice Department has announced a civil settlement of the first Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) fraud whistleblower case in which the government intervened. This milestone should remind PPP borrowers they should...more
The Justice Department has announced the first-ever False Claims Act settlement with a lender to resolve allegations related to processing a Paycheck Protection Program loan on behalf of an ineligible customer. This...more
9/21/2022
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
DOJ Strike Force ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
FBI ,
Fraud ,
Lenders ,
Money Laundering ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Popular ,
SBA
With the arrest of the CEO of a New Jersey non-bank lender, the U.S. Department of Justice appears to have entered a new, more aggressive phase of its scrutiny of COVID-19 related aid and alleged fraud in the administration...more
The U.S. Department of Justice continues to seek long prison sentences for those convicted of COVID-19 related fraud. Recently, courts have agreed with prosecutors, and have issued increasingly lengthy prison terms to those...more
The U.S. Justice Department’s COVID-related health care fraud crackdown continues to intensify. On a single day in September 2021, the Justice Department announced criminal charges against 138 defendants in 31 federal...more
10/13/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DEA ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Diagnostic Tests ,
FBI ,
Fraud and Abuse ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare Fraud ,
Medical Equipment ,
Nurses ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Physicians ,
Provider Relief Fund ,
Telehealth ,
Telemedicine
The owner of a Florida jet company agreed August 26, 2021, to pay a large penalty for using government aid - which was directed to his business - on his own personal expenses.
The scheme came to light because of a...more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has intensified its already aggressive crackdown on fraud related to COVID-19, recently announcing criminal charges against a telemedicine company executive, a physician, marketers and medical...more
6/8/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
FBI ,
Fraud ,
Healthcare ,
OIG ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Personally Identifiable Information ,
Popular ,
Provider Relief Fund ,
Telemedicine ,
Virus Testing
Intensifying its crackdown on suspected fraud in pandemic relief programs, the U.S. Department of Justice has established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, sending a clear message that any individual or business that...more
6/2/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Department of Labor (DOL) ,
Economic Injury Disaster Loans ,
False Claims Act (FCA) ,
Federal Agency Taskforce ,
FIRREA ,
Fraud ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Unemployment Insurance ,
Whistleblowers
The Justice Department continues to intensify its crackdown on COVID-19 relief program fraud, a clear indication that any individual or business that has benefited from the government aid should expect enhanced scrutiny from...more
The Justice Department has widened its crackdown on COVID-19 fraud, announcing the first criminal case alleging misuse of federal relief funds designated for medical providers. The egregious nature of the alleged fraud and...more
2/26/2021
/ CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Embezzlement ,
FBI ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Home Health Care ,
Investigations ,
Misuse or Misdirection of Funds ,
OIG ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
Provider Relief Fund
The U.S. Justice Department announced its first civil settlement with a Paycheck Protection Program borrower alleged to have committed fraud in connection with this highly popular COVID-19 relief program. A bankruptcy online...more
This month’s court-ordered release of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan data is expected to result in intense scrutiny of the loan forgiveness process, highlighting the need for recipients to proceed with caution when...more
While the $525 billion Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), enacted as part of the CARES Act, has undoubtedly helped millions of deserving businesses survive the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also provided a unique opportunity for...more
The Small Business Administration (SBA) has opened the portal for applications for forgiveness of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act)....more
Shortly after the Small Business Administration began accepting applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans, two Rhode Island businessmen quickly applied for a combined $543,881 from the program. A few days...more
With the uncertainty created by the global COVID-19 pandemic, it is hard to find anything like a sure bet. States are grappling with when to reopen, parents with school-aged children are awaiting news of when and if their...more
5/26/2020
/ Business Closures ,
CARES Act ,
Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
DPA ,
Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ,
Investigations ,
Main Street Lending Programs ,
Pandemic ,
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) ,
SBA ,
TARP ,
U.S. Treasury
The Internal Revenue Service’s Large Business & International Division has announced another compliance campaign, its 64th such campaign since the first set of campaigns was unveiled in 2017. This latest campaign will focus...more