Resolving To Learn Lessons From Record Pandemic Fraud
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Five Charged With Bribing Juror in US COVID Fraud Trial
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The Facts
Five people accused of siphoning off millions in federal COVID relief aid have been charged with attempting to bribe a juror on the case with $120K in cash.
The alleged bribe occurred near the conclusion of the fraud trial in which seven people allegedly defrauded the federal government of $250M in relief funds through the Minnesota-based non-profit Feeding Our Future.
The Spin
Right narrative
This mess could have been avoided if the federal government did not give out hundreds of billions indiscriminately during the COVID pandemic. The government lowered fraud checks during the pandemic, which allowed fraudsters and even foreign entities to rake in taxpayer money. Emergency aid should never rely on self-reporting and should be tied to payroll taxes, as criminals abused the system to add billions to the ballooning national debt.
Left narrative
It is always easy to armchair quarterback after a crisis, which obscures the fact that COVID aid averted a financial disaster that could have been worse than the Great Depression. Most of the money went into the pockets of people who desperately needed it, and it was third-party lenders, rather than the government, that were responsible for most of the improper loans. While fraud should always be prosecuted, the furor over pandemic aid is largely misplaced.