Federal authorities have made an unknown number of arrests related to fraud under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA). Details of the arrests will be provided by US prosecutor Stephen Muldrow at a news conference shortly before noon today.
The arrests were made this morning, according to the call to the press of the Federal Prosecutor’s Office. The conference will also be attended by representatives of the postal service, social security, the Federal Department of Labor, Social Security, Public Security, the Department of Labor of Puerto Rico, the Department of the Treasury of Puerto Rico and the Inspector General of the island.
A few days ago, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office issued a press release on the first cases that were filed on the island for fraud against PUA. They were the postman José Daniel Le Hardy Figueroa, who had already been arrested for alleged cocaine and heroin trafficking since August 31, 2020, and Christoffer Pérez Vélez.
Last month, prosecutor Muldrow had anticipated in a press release that he was investigating possible fraud regarding federal emergency aid on the island. “We remain vigilant with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice those who are exploiting the current rich public health crisis. I urge citizens to remain vigilant and skeptical of any phone call, email or website requesting personal or banking information, while promising money or services that seem too good to be true, “the chief said. The Federal Prosecutor’s Office in Puerto Rico at that time.
In Puerto Rico, state cases of PUA fraud have been filed. In February last year, the Puerto Rico Office of the Inspector General gave rise to the first complaints from public employees requesting and receiving PUA benefits.
Currently, after the approval of a third package of measures to alleviate the pandemic crisis, Puerto Rican people can continue to seek help from the PUA until September this year.
A month ago, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor took care of some 5,267 new PUA claims.