Paycheck Protection Program
Barbra Streisand's film company pocketed $200K in small business pandemic cash — and used it to pay gardener at her $20M mansion
Small business bailout cash went to the $430M star's firm, which pays for a gardener at her mansion.
Florida pastor and son arrested two years after using church PPP loan to buy mansion: feds
A Florida pastor and his son were arrested two years after they were caught using Covid relief funds to buy a luxury mansion on Disney World property.
Biden’s nuclear blindness, why Dems lose rural America and other commentary
“The Democratic big shots hated Iowa’s pride of place” because “money couldn’t control the outcome” as “candidates were forced to meet actual voters in village diners across the state.”
Congress is shocked, shocked by the COVID fraud it created
Like Captain Renault in the gambling casino in “Casablanca,” congressmen are “shocked, shocked” by all the fraud spawned by the trillions of dollars in COVID handouts they approved.
Tech firms defrauded feds by brokering shady PPP loans to collect fees: report
At least three companies -- Blueacorn, Womply, and Kabbage -- are alleged to have bilked the government, according to a congressional report.
NY Dem boss Jay Jacobs' biz collected $6M in PPP loans — yet donated to Cuomo, Hochul
New York State Democratic Committee chair Jay Jacobs quietly collected $6.1 million in federal pandemic relief loans for various businesses he runs, which then donated $54,000 to the campaigns of...
Pizza joint blames shoddy service on 'stimulus' and 'lack of work ethic'
An irate custome posted the printed-out excuse on Reddit, saying he’d “waited 90 minutes for 1 medium pizza. Came in the store and found out why.”
Ohio GOP Senate front-runner panned for taking $1.5M in PPP funds for bank
Candidate JD Vance slammed Ohio Senate primary frontrunner Mike Gibbons for "shamefully" taking $1.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program loans for his investment bank.
Florida woman uses pandemic loan to hire hitman to murder rival
Jasmine Martinez allegedly used money from a pandemic relief loan to pay a gunman to kill Le’Shonte Jones in a broad-daylight attack outside her home.
Open everything now and other commentary
Social Democrat: Open Everything Now “At the beginning of the pandemic, we were too slow to adapt,” Yascha Mounk notes at The Atlantic. “Now we are once again in danger...
'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta' star gets 17.5 years in prison for fraud
Reality TV star and rapper Maurice “Mo” Fayne has been sentenced to 17.5 years behind bars for operating a multi-million Ponzi scheme and stealing more than $2 million in COVID-19...
Hedge fund manager accused in $4.6M COVID-19 scam held on $500K bail
A hedge fund manager charged with 33 counts of grand larceny and fraud for allegedly stealing millions of dollars in COVID-19 Paycheck Protection Program loans was ordered held on $500,000...
Proud Boys leader reportedly got $15,500 in COVID stimulus cash
Enrique Tarrio, head of the far-right Proud Boys group that was thought to be instrumental in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, received two government stimulus loans worth about...
Pizza shop owner accused of using PPP loan to buy alpaca farm, cars
A former Massachusetts pizza shop owner is accused of using illegally obtained federal coronavirus relief funds to buy an alpaca farm, federal prosecutors said.
Pandemic watchdog blasts Treasury for blocking COVID relief fraud investigations
A bureaucratic turf battle between the Treasury Department and a government watchdog named by President Trump could be giving free rein to scammers sucking cash out of federal COVID-19 relief...
Asian American businesses hit especially hard by COVID crisis: report
Asian American business owners have struggled particularly hard during the coronavirus pandemic while also grappling with fears of increased hate crimes, according to a new report. Asian-owned businesses lost a...
US to give small firms exclusive COVID-19 PPP loan access for 2 weeks
The feds will give America’s smallest businesses — including people who work for themselves — two weeks to access coronavirus relief loans without larger companies gumming up the works, President...
Fed finds minority-owned businesses struggle to access credit during pandemic
The vast majority of US small businesses took a hit to their revenue last year because of the coronavirus pandemic, with minority-owned businesses struggling the most and worrying more about...
Millions in COVID relief loans given to vitamin sellers flagged by feds
A trio of supplements sellers snagged millions in coronavirus relief loans last spring — all within weeks of getting dinged by the feds for questionable claims about their products, The...
Scott Stringer wants more COVID stimulus funding to go to NYC businesses
With the US Treasury kicking off a new round of $284 billion in COVID-19 funding for small businesses on Wednesday, City Comptroller Scott Stringer announced a plan to help NYC...