House GOP to investigate COVID unemployment cash going to China, Russia

Top Republican investigators demanded answers Monday from the Biden administration about how taxpayer money meant to go to unemployed Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic has been stolen by Chinese or Russian syndicates.

pandemic unemployment money flowed to Chinese, Russian and other state-sponsored fraud syndicates.

Justice Department officials told Congress last month that they brought charges in cases worth about $1 billion in COVID-19 fraud, but that leaves hundreds of billions of dollars unaccounted for, Mr.

The Times last month reported on calculations by Haywood “Woody” Talcove, CEO for LexisNexis Risk Solutions’ government division, who figures about 40% of more than $700 billion spent on pandemic unemployment benefits went to fraudsters.

Congress approved an unprecedented increase in unemployment benefits at the start of the pandemic with a $600-a-week boost beyond what states paid.

More than 30 million people have filed initial unemployment claims during the pandemic.

Talcove said.

Comer said he has been prodding his committee to investigate pandemic fraud, but the Democrats who control the panel “have refused to hold a single hearing on this gross mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.”.

The Washington Times reached out to the office of committee Chair Carolyn B.

The Justice Department declined to answer questions from The Washington Times for its original report.

Talcove said the average pandemic unemployment benefit topped $25,000 in total payments.

In the span of one week in May 2020, he filed 50 bogus claims with Washington state’s unemployment system and collected more than $280,000 in benefits before he was caught a few weeks later.

Talcove said.

Copyright © 2021 The Washington Times, LLC