Hey, remember that time we shut down the global economy and made everyone stay home and brought economic activity to a screeching halt and then figured we could just cut a bunch of whopper government checks to everyone and it would all be okay?
Yeah about that:
Many who participated in what prosecutors are calling the largest fraud in U.S. history — the theft of hundreds of billions of dollars in taxpayer money intended to help those harmed by the coronavirus pandemic — couldn't resist purchasing luxury automobiles. Also mansions, private jet flights and swanky vacations.
They came into their riches by participating in what experts say is the theft of as much as $80 billion — or about 10 percent — of the $800 billion handed out in a Covid relief plan known as the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP. That's on top of the $90 billion to $400 billion believed to have been stolen from the $900 billion Covid unemployment relief program — at least half taken by international fraudsters — as NBC News reported last year. And another $80 billion potentially pilfered from a separate Covid disaster relief program.
Just in case it isn't clear:
They bought Lamborghinis, Ferraris and Bentleys.
And Teslas, of course. Lots of Teslas.
Yep, you read it right: You had to close down the business your dad started fifty years ago, lay off all your employees, accept some government scraps in order to desperately try and keep it open, and meanwhile these folks were ripping off taxpayers to the tune of many billions of dollars so that they could buy a bunch of Mustangs and playact as Justin Bieber for a few months.
Don't worry, though, the nation's top men are on it:
Most of the losses are considered unrecoverable, but there is still a chance to stanch the bleeding, because federal officials say $600 billion is still waiting to go out the door.
Oh yeah sure mmhmm.
Actually, we've received live breaking footage of federal investigators "stanching the bleeding" of COVID fraud. Here it is:
We all feel so much better now I'm sure!
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