Looking Ahead: Enforcement Actions for Fraud, Waste, and Abuse Related to COVID-19
As the public health and economic responses to COVID-19 dominate the headlines and traditional government enforcement actions slow, anticipate a significant increase in government enforcement actions, internal investigations related to corporate fraud, and qui tam (whistleblower) actions in the coming months. The CARES Act contains appropriations for tens of millions of dollars for agency inspector general enforcement. Leaders in federal law enforcement are telling us they are shifting enforcement priorities to target individuals and businesses for fraud, waste, and abuse related to COVID-19. This effort will last for years given the trillions of government dollars now pouring into the economy. These investigations will focus on decisions and actions (or inactions) being made now. Organizations must be looking to mitigate risk now.
