Federal Spending Due to Coronavirus Outbreak Will Trigger Fraud, Whistleblower Attorney Says

The increased federal spending in response to the COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak will trigger fraudulent behaviors, Bloomberg Law reports.

According to whistleblower attorney David Colapinto, the rush to get medical supplies to hospitals will cause “unscrupulous vendors” to take advantage of the crisis.

“When trillions of dollars are involved, the potential for fraud is almost endless,” Colapinto said. “We’ve never seen this much money pumped in at one time.”

From Bloomberg Law:

“Wherever there is federal money, there is a potential for fraud,” David Colapinto of Kohn, Kohn & Colapinto LLP, a law firm that represents whistleblowers, said. “When trillions of dollars are involved, the potential for fraud is almost endless. We’ve never seen this much money pumped in at one time.”

Colapinto specializes in representing whistleblowers under the False Claims Act. The federal law that allows those who report fraud to get a share of any funds recovered by the government from unscrupulous contractors. The Justice Department recovered more than $3 billion in False Claims Act cases last year.

Read the full article: Sweeping Stimulus Law Golden Opportunity for Scam Artists.