Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall on Wednesday announced the creation of a state-federal task force to investigate financial crimes related to the ongoing coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
A release from Marshall’s office outlined that the task force is made up of more than a dozen state and federal agencies and will be a subcommittee of the Economic Crime Alliance of Alabama (ECAA).
The task force will reportedly investigate a broad range of crimes arising from the pandemic, with referrals (when warranted) then being made to the state attorney general’s office, local district attorneys and the respective U.S. Attorneys’ offices for prosecution.
Crimes to be investigated include stimulus payment fraud, personal protective equipment fraud, COVID-19 testing and treatment fraud, fake charities related to coronavirus, price gouging, hoarding of personal protective equipment designated as scarce and fraud targeting the elderly.
“As our nation and state grapple with the societal disruption of a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic, criminal elements have preyed upon widespread fear and uncertainty to victimize the public,” Marshall stated. “Due to the broad nature of the financial crimes being perpetrated against the public, a dedicated team of state and federal partners has been assembled to channel resources and expertise to identify criminals and bring them to justice.”
The new task force includes: the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Alabama Department of Labor, the Alabama Securities Commission, the Alabama State Banking Department, the Alabama Department of Revenue, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Secret Service, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, the U.S. Postal Service, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Social Security Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
“The combined reach of these state and federal agencies will be leveraged to pinpoint and investigate criminal activity which will then be prosecuted by state and federal prosecutors of the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, local district attorneys, as well as the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Alabama,” Marshall concluded. “Those who seek to use the COVID-19 pandemic to steal from the vulnerable and the sick should have no refuge. Our law enforcement alliance is actively working to end their campaign of fraud and deception.”
Complaints of illegal activity related to COVID-19 can be directed to the Alabama Attorney General’s Office via emailing [email protected].
Sean Ross is the editor of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
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