The FBI has begun a wide-ranging probe into fraud and corruption stemming from the $787 billion stimulus package pushed by President Obama earlier this year.
“Experience tells us that there’s a good chance that some of the money could end up in the hands of a few unscrupulous government officials and others seeking to line their own pockets,” the agency said in a statement Thursday.
As a result: “The FBI and the Department of Justice are working now — in concert with our federal, state, and local partners including the inspector general community — to get out in front of possible fraud and corruption associated with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act,” the statement said.
The stimulus does include oversight and reporting requirements.
“But past investigations have shown that much of the crime is likely to occur among those who have minimal or no reporting requirements and limited oversight,” the FBI said. “That amount of money may prove too tempting for some.”
The agency compared the circumstances to the federal reaction with Hurricane Katrina when billions of dollars flooded New Orleans and sometimes landed in the hands of fraudsters. It has been four years since the storm ripped through the Gulf region, and investigators are still chasing after the cash that followed.
In June, FBI Director Robert Mueller said the country should prepare for a crime wave stemming from the stimulus package.
“These funds are inherently vulnerable to bribery, fraud, conflicts of interest and collusion,” Mueller said. With so much cash available for the taking, “even a small percentage of fraud would result in substantial taxpayer losses,” he said.
The FBI’s probe will focus on specific programs that it has deemed the most vulnerable, Thursday’s statement said. Topping the list are transportation and infrastructure projects, and education grants where school boards have full control over spending, but little oversight.
