Thanks to a report from Judicial Watch, we know five IRS employees have indulged in stealing over $1 million in COVID relief funds. Like others who have cheated the system, these government workers have used the ill-gotten money to purchase expensive cars as well as luxury goods and swanky vacations.
One would hope employees of the government organization tasked with collecting taxes and catching those who try cheating the system would be more honest in their personal financial dealings. However, they're human just like everyone else, just like how there are some police officers who commit crimes.
Just like other accused cheats, these former and current IRS employees apparently obtained the COVID relief funds by filing fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) loan applications. The money was supposed to help business owners and employees who were adversely affected by government-imposed shutdowns, but they were also abused by those wanting to just get a quick score.
As Judicial Watch has pointed out, the problem of COVID relief fund theft is so large the Department of Justice formed a COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to catch those taking advantage. We've seen a number of cases prosecuted through different United States Attorney Offices across the country.
Reportedly, the IRS workers who allegedly obtained this money fraudulently bought a Mercedes-Benz, although we don't know what model. That car along with the other stuff they purchased is of course no longer in their possession.
In other cases, we've seen deals with defendants which include not only the forfeiture of items purchased using COVID relief funds, but also restitution. We would expect a similar outcome in this case, although it's possible one or more of these IRS employees will decide having their day in court is preferable to a settlement.
Source: Judicial Watch
This article originally appeared in The Auto Wire. The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News. Republished with permission.
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