More Time Needed to Prosecute Pandemic Unemployment Fraud, Government Watchdogs Tell Congress

More Time Needed to Prosecute Pandemic Unemployment Fraud, Government Watchdogs Tell Congress
Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz addresses a Congressional panel in February 2023. Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Ryan Morgan
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Federal watchdog officials are asking Congress to extend the statute of limitations to prosecute COVID-19 pandemic-era unemployment fraud cases.

During a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Wednesday, Department of Labor Inspector  General (DOL) Larry Turner testified (pdf) that he expects his department to be busy investigating pandemic-related fraud through at least September 2026 “when the statute of limitations for most pandemic-related violations will have expired.”