mailto:?body=The%20three-month%20operation%2C%20which%20ended%20in%20July%2C%20resulted%20in%20more%20than%20300%20people%20being%20charged%2C%20underscoring%20the%20pervasiveness%20of%20the%20fraud%20Updated%2028%20sec%20ago%20AP%20August%2024%2C%202023%2000%3A57%20189%20googletag.cmd.push(function()%20%7B%20googletag.display(%27div-gpt-ad-1581406837664-5%27)%3B%20%7D)%3B%20WASHINGTON%3A%20Hundreds%20of%20people%20have%20been%20charged%20with%20the%20theft%20of%20more%20than%20%24830%20million%20in%20COVID-19%20emergency%20aid%20following%20a%20nationwide%20operation%20conducted%20by%20federal%2C%20state%20and%20local%20law%20enforcement%20agencies%2C%20the%20US%20Justice%20Department%20announced%20Wednesday.%20More%20than%2060%20of%20the%20defendants%20have%20alleged%20connections%20to%20organized%20crime%2C%20the%20department%20said%2C%20including%20members%20of%20a%20criminal%20gang%20accused%20of%20using%20stolen%20pandemic%20aid%20to%20pay%20for%20a%20murder.%20%E2%80%9CThis%20latest%20action%2C%20involving%20over%20300%20defendants%20and%20over%20%24830%20million%20in%20alleged%20COVID-19%20fraud%2C%20should%20send%20a%20clear%20message%3A%20the%20COVID-19%20public%20health%20emergency%20may%20have%20ended%2C%20but%20the%20Justice%20Department%E2%80%99s%20work%20to%20identify%20and%20prosecute%20those%20who%20stole%20pandemic%20relief%20funds%20is%20far%20from%20over%2C%E2%80%9D%20Attorney%20General%20Merrick%20Garland%20said%20in%20a%20statement.%20The%20three-month%20operation%2C%20which%20ended%20in%20July%2C%20resulted%20in%20more%20than%20300%20people%20being%20charged%2C%20underscoring%20the%20pervasiveness%20of%20the%20fraud.%20%E2%80%9CWe%E2%80%99ll%20stay%20at%20it%20for%20as%20long%20as%20it%20takes%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Deputy%20Attorney%20General%20Lisa%20Monaco%2C%20who%20led%20of%20a%20meeting%20of%20law%20enforcement%20officials%20livestreamed%20on%20the%20Justice%20Department%E2%80%99s%20website.%20An%20Associated%20Press%20analysis%20published%20in%20June%20found%20that%20fraudsters%20potentially%20stole%20more%20than%20%24280%20billion%20in%20COVID-19%20relief%20funding%3B%20another%20%24123%20billion%20was%20wasted%20or%20misspent.%20Most%20of%20the%20money%20was%20grabbed%20from%20three%20large%20pandemic-relief%20initiatives%20designed%20to%20help%20small%20businesses%20and%20unemployed%20workers%20survive%20the%20economic%20upheaval%20caused%20by%20the%20pandemic.%20Nearly%203%2C200%20defendants%20have%20been%20charged%20with%20COVID-19%20aid%20fraud%2C%20according%20to%20the%20new%20Justice%20Department%20figures.%20About%20%241.4%20billion%20in%20stolen%20pandemic%20aid%20has%20been%20seized.%20The%20murder-for-hire%20case%20cited%20by%20Justice%20officials%20involved%20alleged%20members%20of%20a%20Milwaukee%20gang%20known%20as%20the%20Wild%20100s%2C%20according%20to%20court%20records.%20Federal%20prosecutors%20said%20they%20stole%20millions%20of%20dollars%20in%20pandemic%20unemployment%20assistance%20and%20used%20part%20of%20the%20money%20to%20purchase%20guns%2C%20drugs%20and%20to%20pay%20to%20have%20a%20person%20killed.%20The%20federal%20indictment%20identifies%20the%20victim%20in%20the%20Wisconsin%20case%20only%20by%20the%20initials%20N.B.%20and%20doesn%E2%80%99t%20specify%20how%20much%20of%20the%20plundered%20cash%20was%20used%20to%20finance%20the%20slaying.%20The%20Justice%20Department%20also%20said%20Wednesday%20it%20was%20creating%20more%20strike%20forces%20to%20combat%20COVID-19%20fraud%20in%20Colorado%20and%20New%20Jersey%2C%20joining%20those%20already%20in%20operation%20in%20California%2C%20Florida%20and%20Maryland.%20%E2%80%9CI%20don%E2%80%99t%20see%20an%20end%2C%E2%80%9D%20said%20Mike%20Galdo%2C%20the%20department%E2%80%99s%20acting%20director%20for%20COVID-19%20Fraud%20Enforcement.%20%E2%80%9CBased%20on%20what%20we%E2%80%99ve%20seen%20from%20the%20scope%20of%20the%20fraud%2C%20I%20don%E2%80%99t%20see%20an%20end%20to%20our%20work.%E2%80%9D%20-Advertisement-%0a%0ahttps%3A%2F%2Fwww.arabnews.com%2Fnode%2F2360516%2Fworld