The alleged fraud cost his employer in excess of USD$100,000
The US Department of Justice released a statement last week regarding an Atlanta man who has been charged for misrepresenting to his employer that he had tested positive for COVID-19.
In the statement, Chris Hacker, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Atlanta, said: “Scammers continue to take advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic through a variety of means. We receive numerous complaints every day and this case is a reminder that we remain vigilant in detecting, investigating and prosecuting any wrongdoing related to the crisis.”
The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia states that the man has been charged with defrauding his employer by allegedly faking a positive COVID-19 medical excuse letter. The man has since admitted that he did not have COVID-19.
In doing this, the man’s employer had to stop business and sanitize the workplace. Employees were paid during the shutdown. The company estimates that this action caused an approx. USD$100,000 loss to the corporation.
Furthermore, US Attorney Byung J. Park said in the statement that the defendant caused “distress to his coworkers and their families.”
The charges are part of a broader effort made by the State of Georgia to protect its citizens from criminal fraud related to the pandemic. It has created a Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fraud Task Force as part of these efforts.
COVID-19 fraud
The current pandemic has unfortunately seen a rise in coronavirus-related fraudulent schemes.
At the start of May, the manufacturer sued five vendors in federal courts in Florida, Indiana and Wisconsin for allegedly offering billions of nonexistent N95 respirators.
Additionally, 3M filed legal actions in the Superior Court of Justice in Ontario, alleging that defendants Zhiyu Pu and Harmen Mander, directors of Caonic Systems, Inc, falsely affiliated themselves with the company to sell N95 respirators at higher prices.
