PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — Federal prosecutors in Oregon recently filed a string of new cases against individuals and businesses suspected of defrauding the United States of pandemic relief funds.
Scott Bradford, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon, said federal prosecutors have filed more than 100 cases since 2020 to recover “almost $1.6 billion” in relief-program funding. So far, the office has recovered more than $314 million, or about 22%.
Just since June, Bradford said his office has filed 12 civil and criminal cases for alleged fraud and recovered more than $8.5 million. The recent push to file new cases came as part of Operation No Doze, a national effort by the U.S. Department of Justice to accelerate criminal filings related to COVID-relief fraud…