Federal authorities have charged 57 individuals for allegedly attempting to steal over $175 million from a program aimed at helping small businesses during the pandemic known as the payment protection program (PPP), the Justice Department announced.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Brian Rabbitt said during a press conference on Thursday that the cases of fraud had resulted in over $70 million in actual losses to the federal government. He said that the Justice Department has been combating fraud and, to date, has been able to recover or freeze over $30 million.
