Six people are charged with defrauding the federal government in a scheme to steal nearly $7 million in COVID-19 relief funds intended for Washington state renters and small businesses. The indictment alleges, in total, that the defendants submitted over 125 fraudulent applications for various COVID-19 pandemic relief programs, seeking over $6.8 million and receiving and pocketing over $3.3 million beginning in April 2020. The defendants allegedly defrauded the Small Business Administration, in addition to defrauding millions from federal relief intended for rental assistance in Washington state. “The case that we are announcing today is shocking in that all the people charged were relentless in defrauding nearly every form of assistance the government was providing during the height of the national crisis. This included aid intended for some of the most vulnerable people here in Washington state and small businesses that were struggling to get by,” said U.S. Attorney Nick Brown. Read the full story here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/crime/6-stealing-millions-covid-relief-washington/281-ae06f0c7-3482-4943-a55b-b7d76c475b15