The sweeping $2 trillion economic stimulus package signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27 will undoubtedly help millions of people in need, but it is also expected to attract its share of shady operators looking to make a fast buck.
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The stimulus provides for oversight, but “there is no way that the inspector general or a board governing oversight of $500 billion will be able to monitor and detect every fraudulent representation made in furtherance of government payment,” said Reuben A. Guttman of Guttman, Buschner & Brooks PLLC, a firm that represents whistleblowers.
Democrats pushed for and secured independent oversight of $500 billion for distressed businesses, Bloomberg News reported.
False Claims Act whistleblowers will be needed to help the inspector general do the job, Guttman said.
“The government’s first instinct in an emergency is to put money out without putting guidelines into place to make sure it will be well spent,” he said. “Products like ventilators and masks will have integrity problems because of this rush.”
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