Inspectors ask for authority to go after more COVID fraud

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT
Associated Press

Inspectors general need more authority to go after fraud in the COVID-19 relief programs, the independent committee overseeing federal pandemic relief spending said Tuesday. The agencies watchdogs’ authority to administratively prosecute fraudsters is limited to fraud of $150,000 or less from COVID-19 relief programs and the Department of Justice is too busy for cases under $1 million — a gap that must be closed. That’s according to the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee. Michael Horowitz, who heads the committee, says the $150,000 threshold is far too low given the scope of the fraud. He’s asking Congress to raise the maximum amount of a fraud claim that may be handled administratively to $1 million.