‘Fur Lives Matter’ case turns heads as DOJ’s ‘Fraud Week’ targets taxpayer swindlers
A nationwide business-aid fraud crackdown — highlighted by a bizarre Missouri scheme involving alleged stolen corporate identity — is among the enforcement actions being highlighted during the federal push dubbed “Fraud Week.” The announcement is part of the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division’s nationwide summer surge. It netted more than 160 criminal defendants and approximately $245 million in intended losses to taxpayers, according to DOJ, as the agency announced busts from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. “This is the problem of our day,” said U.S. Attorney Matt Price of the Western District of Missouri, whose office was one of 44 involved in the greater “Heartland Fraud Surge” that encompassed June through Sept. 1. “And this is a response to what happened over the previous four years,” WHITE HOUSE PUSHES ‘WATERSHED’ FRAUD-FIGHTING REFORM IN CONGRESS AS VANCE CONVENES TASK FORCE “After 9/11, there was a huge lean-in, [an] all-of-government approach to national security issues,” Price said, comparing the Bush-era interagency pivot to terror threats with the coordinated response to the current push against fraud in taxpayer-funded programs. Price headlined the extensive Small Business Administration (SBA) and COVID-19-related fraud probes under division chief Colin McDonald. In the “Fur Lives Matter” case, a Missouri man allegedly claimed to operate 19 separate businesses, including some focused on pet care like “Fur Lives Matter,” “Fur Lives Matter LLC,” “Chows & Pals” and “God’s Chow Chow.” MINNESOTA FRAUD MASTERMIND GETS NEARLY 42 YEARS IN PRISON IN MASSIVE $250M ‘FEEDING OUR FUTURE’ SCHEME There was one glaring problem: “Fur Lives Matter” was a real company in another state — and prosecutors say it had no connection to Gray. Using “Fur Lives Matter” and the other purported companies, Jamie Gray allegedly sought to fraudulently obtain nearly $56 million in Paycheck Protection (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster (EIDL) funds from the Small Business Administration through 29 applications. BRAZEN SOCIAL MEDIA FRAUD SCHEMES WREAK HAVOC AS TRUMP OFFICIAL ISSUES STARK WARNING FOR ‘FRAUDFLUENCERS’ Most cases involved entirely fictitious businesses, and only “Fur Lives Matter” was operational at the Feb. 15, 2020, eligibility cutoff. “Gray effectively stole this company’s identity,” the DOJ said in a statement, alleging the legitimate business had no knowledge of him and that his claims about ownership, employees, revenue and operations were fabricated. Gray nevertheless received about $820,000 in SBA funds, prosecutors said. The case stood out even among a summer surge of alleged fraud schemes for its unusual details. JUDGE SENTENCES FEEDING OUR FUTURE FRAUDSTERS WHO FAKED RUNNING CHILD NUTRITION SITE “If you screwed the American taxpayer, the federal government is now going to say you’re cut off, no more,” Vice President JD Vance said this week on the matter of the larger administration crackdown. “You shouldn’t be applying anymore, and if you do apply, you’re no longer able to get those benefits.” VANCE-LED TASK FORCE CUTS OFF $1.4B FROM HOME HEALTH, HOSPICE PROVIDERS SUSPECTED OF FRAUD Price said the effort is expanding beyond Operation No Doze, the SBA-focused enforcement action conducted as part of the broader Heartland Fraud Surge. His office and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe, along with other state officials, have also launched Operation Show-Me the Money, a new state-federal effort targeting fraud in state benefit programs. REPUBLICANS DECLARE WAR ON ‘ORGANIZED THEFT’ WITH GOVERNMENT FRAUD CRACKDOWN “No fraud is too small to prosecute, but leveraging all state resources in the state of Missouri from the top down [is believed to be] a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the state and the feds, working to identify and prosecute this type of fraud,” he said Saturday. Price also credited SBA Administrator Kelly Loeffler with “leading from the front” as the agency is suspending suspected fraudulent borrowers and sending demand letters seeking repayment. SIGN UP TO GET THE POLITICS NEWSLETTER He said the Heartland Surge depicts a new approach to countering fraud, characterizing the Biden administration’s attempts to recoup lost dollars as a “pay and chase” model. Attorney General Todd Blanche has instructed prosecutors to charge fraud cases of all sizes, in that the smaller cases send the message to bigger scofflaws that, no matter the amount of money involved, “if you ripped off the American taxpayer… we will find you, we will identify you, we will hunt you down, we’ll prosecute you,” said Price.
No Aadhaar Biometric? No subsidised LPG from Oct 1; How to authenticate at home using app
Biometric Aadhaar authentication will be mandatory for subsidised LPG starting October 1, 2026. A total of 27.43 crore or 89.9%, of consumers have completed the authentication process. Those who do not authenticate will receive LPG at market price without any subsidy.
Justice Department charges 16 across multiple states with alleged illegal voting, election crimes
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced charges against 16 people in multiple states in connection with alleged illegal voting, voter registration and other election-related crimes, including cases involving noncitizens accused of casting ballots in federal elections. DOJ followed the announcement with a warning on social media, saying some of those charged allegedly voted in the 2022 and 2024 elections, and warning others against attempting to illegally participate in U.S. elections. “Let this be a warning to ANYONE trying to cheat and undermine our elections,” the DOJ wrote. “Spread the word!” According to DOJ, eight non-citizens residing in Texas were charged, while the other cases involved defendants in Idaho, Georgia, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Michigan. SKID ROW FORGERIES, ILLEGAL VOTES AND A MAYORAL CANDIDATE: ELECTION FRAUD CASES PILE UP NATIONWIDE The allegations include noncitizens voting in federal elections, false claims of U.S. citizenship to register or vote, and false statements related to naturalization. During the investigations, the DOJ said authorities also uncovered alleged passport and identification fraud, wire fraud and firearm-related offenses. The cases are part of a broader Trump administration enforcement effort targeting alleged illegal voting and election-related crimes. WATCH: ILLEGAL ALIEN BUSTED IN BATTLEGROUND STATE AFTER ALLEGEDLY COMMITTING VOTER FRAUD In Georgia, DOJ said Analiea Milliscent Eccles, a Venezuelan national and DACA recipient, voted nine times between 2008 and 2024. She was charged with voting as a noncitizen and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to vote. Avila Gomez, a Mexican national residing in Idaho, is accused of falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to register to vote and then voting in May 2022 and November 2024. The indictment also includes wire fraud, passport, identification-document and firearm-related charges. DOJ said Santana Coulibaly, a lawful permanent resident in New Jersey, registered to vote in 2016, voted in federal elections in 2018 and 2020 and submitted a provisional ballot in the 2024 presidential election. She also faces allegations involving statements made in her naturalization applications. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the DOJ’s Fraud Division told Fox News that the Trump administration has now charged 50 non-citizens with illegal voting. ICE ARRESTS PERUVIAN NATIONAL ACCUSED OF ILLEGALLY VOTING IN 2024 ELECTION AS DHS CITES SIMILAR CASES “America’s elections are for Americans,” McDonald said. In a separate interview, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Markwayne Mullin said a broader investigation was underway. Mullin said officials have more than 1,620 open cases and have made 151 arrests. He also said authorities are looking into more than 300,000 suspected cases, a figure he said continues to grow. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ARRESTED IN INDIANA FOR ALLEGEDLY VOTING IN FEDERAL ELECTION: DHS Mullin asserted that “every single vote that was at the hands of an illegal [immigrant], canceled out a citizen that was legally registered and able to vote.” “One is too many, but the fact that we have 300,000 cases we’re looking into right now and 1,620 cases that are under investigation, and 151 arrests is unacceptable,” Mullin said. The Justice Department noted that the charges announced Friday are accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.