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Minneapolis CNN —One state audit found that bonus checks intended for frontline workers during the pandemic were handed out to undeserving recipients. Another criticized a Minnesota state agency for failing to ensure there were no conflicts of interest in taxpayer-funded mental health and addiction programs. His fans were easy to find last month at the Minnesota State Fair, which drew nearly 2 million people this year. Republican state Sen. Mark Koran, second from right, speaks with constituents at the Minnesota State Fair. “We are troubled by MDE’s decision,” the auditor’s report said, using the acronym for the Minnesota Department of Education.

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☆ Fraudsters likely stole $45.6 billion from U.S. COVID unemployment insurance program
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-22 | by ( Kanishka Singh | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Shannon StapletonWASHINGTON, Sept 22 (Reuters) - Fraudsters likely stole $45.6 billion from the United States' unemployment insurance program during the COVID-19 pandemic by applying tactics like using Social Security numbers of deceased individuals, a federal watchdog said on Thursday. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"We determined 205,766 Social Security numbers of deceased persons were used to file claims for UI (unemployment insurance) pandemic benefits," the report added. The United States' jobless aid program started in 2020 in the early days of the coronavirus outbreak. The United States is probing many fraud cases pegged to U.S. government assistance programs, such as the Paycheck Protection Program, unemployment insurance and Medicare. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kanishka Singh in Washington; Editing by Andrea RicciOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"These defendants exploited a program designed to provide nutritious food to needy children during the COVID-19 pandemic." The alleged scheme was tied to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Federal Child Nutrition Program aimed at feeding needy children. The program, which was expanded during the pandemic, allows private restaurants to run federally funded food distribution sites, as long as they are sponsored by a non-profit organization. Prosecutors said restaurant owners and others paid bribes to Feeding Our Future employees to get the organization to sponsor sham distribution sites. Defendants created dozens of shell companies to run the fake distribution sites and to launder the proceeds of the scheme, prosecutors said.

☆ Fraudsters used a fake-name generating website to steal $250 million meant for hungry children, Justice Department alleges
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( Charles R. Davis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

According to prosecutors, the accused exploited the federal Child Nutrition Program, which provides free or low-cost meals to impoverished children. Feeding Our Future, in turn, collected $18 million in administrative fees for disbursing that money, according to the indictment. In 2019, it dispersed $3.4 million in federal aid, according to prosecutors, rising to nearly $200 million in 2021. Those involved in the scheme, prosecutors claim, spent proceeds on travel, luxury vehicles, and property in Minnesota, Ohio, and Kentucky — as well as real estate in Turkey and Kenya. A search warrant, executed in January, accused Bock of accepting a $310,000 payment from one client, Sahan Journal reported.

☆ Feds charge dozens in Minnesota in alleged scheme to steal $250 million in pandemic aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-20 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Prosecutors say few meals were actually served, and the defendants used the money to buy luxury cars, property and jewelry. "This $250 million is the floor," Andy Luger, the U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said at a news conference. According to court documents, the alleged scheme targeted the USDA's federal child nutrition programs, which provide food to low-income children and adults. But during the pandemic, some of the standard requirements for sites to participate in the federal food nutrition programs were waived. Luger said the scheme involved more than 125 million fake meals, with some defendants making up names for children by using an online random name generator.

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