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The Great Grift: Five things to know about how COVID-19 relief aid was stolen or wasted

By AARON KESSLER, RICHARD LARDNER and JENNIFER MCDERMOTT - Jun 12, 2023, 12:12 AM ET
Last Updated - Jun 21, 2023, 09:27 AM EDT
Pandemic Aid Great Grift
ASSOCIATED PRESS

An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent

WASHINGTON (AP) — The greatest grift in U.S. history was brazen, even simple. Criminals and gangs grabbed the money. So did a U.S. soldier in Georgia, the pastors of a defunct church in Texas, a former state lawmaker in Missouri, and a roofing contractor in Montana. 

Over the last three years, thieves plundered billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief aid intended to combat the worst pandemic in a century and to stabilize an economy in free fall. 

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Here are some key takeaways from an Associated Press analysis of what may have been stolen or wasted. How much was stolen? 

An Associated Press analysis found that fraudsters potentially stole more than $280 billion in COVID-19 relief funding; another $123 billion was wasted or misspent. Combined, the loss represents a jarring 10% of the $4.2 trillion the U.S. government has so far disbursed in COVID-relief aid. 

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