“Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco convened the first meeting of the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force on Thursday, May 27th,” reports the Justice.gov website. “Launched earlier this month, the Task Force is marshaling the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across the federal government to enhance enforcement efforts against COVID-19 related fraud.”

“In launching the first meeting of the Task Force, Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco told the members that the “aim of the Task Force is to join forces against fraud and protect the integrity of government funds.'”

“The Task Force members discussed several of their priority goals, including increased efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19 relief programs like the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, as well as unemployment insurance benefits. The Task Force also discussed efforts to combat health care fraud, including the criminal charges that were announced earlier this week against 14 defendants for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes that exploited the COVID-19 pandemic and resulted in over $143 million in false billings.”

“The Deputy Attorney General closed by stressing that a well-informed public is the strongest weapon in preventing fraud and reiterating the Task Force’s commitment to educating individuals and businesses about how they can best protect themselves.”