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Press Release
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich and Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Brian D. Miller announced today that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Nevada has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Office of the Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery (SIGPR).
“This partnership with SIGPR will help our district continue to carry out the critical work of stopping those who would take advantage of the $2.2 trillion CARES Act,” said U.S. Attorney Trutanich. “We look forward to working closely with SIGPR to, among other things, prosecute fraudsters who are preying on vulnerable individuals during these difficult times and hold accountable fraudulent profiteers.”
“This relationship is a critical step in protecting taxpayer dollars,” said Special Inspector General for Pandemic Recovery Brian D. Miller. “We join U.S. Attorney Nicholas Trutanich and his team to fight fraud, waste, and abuse involving taxpayer dollars appropriated by Congress in response to the pandemic. We will hold accountable and bring to justice those who improperly take or use such money, which is meant to support the Nation’s economic health and recovery.”
The purpose and mission of the MOU is to develop a cooperative effort to investigate and prosecute matters involving the making, purchase, management, and sale of loans, loan guarantees, and other investments made by the Secretary of the Treasury under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020, and the management by the Secretary of the Treasury of any program established under the CARES Act, in order to achieve just results while using all criminal and civil resources efficiently.
The MOU outlines four objectives: (1) To provide a coordinated response to CARES Act funding fraud, with an emphasis on organized criminal activity, as well as criminal and civil fraud affecting federal money, vulnerable victims, and fraud recidivists; (2) To facilitate legal process, case intake, and swift prosecution of CARES Act-related fraud; (3) To link and associate isolated CARES Act-related complaints with larger schemes and related unlawful activity; and (4) To deter future CARES Act funding fraud through an enhanced awareness of successful criminal prosecution and civil enforcement against individuals and companies involved in CARES-related financial fraud.
Two Assistant U.S. Attorneys — one from the Criminal Division and one from the Civil Division — will serve as liaisons to the partnership between SIGPR and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. These AUSAs will be direct points of contact for case-related inquiries from SIGPR.
The MOU also calls for the U.S. Attorney’s Office to create a streamlined, accelerated process for SIGPR investigations to obtain needed preliminary legal process, including grand jury subpoenas and court orders, subpoenas, and civil investigative demands.
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