NEWS NATIONAL SECURITY
CORRESPONDENT KEN DILANIAN.
HE'S BEEN COVERING ISSUES OF
COVID RELIEF, RIGHT. HE JOINS
US NOW WITH MORE ON THE
FLEECING OF AMERICA. KEN, I
KNOW YOU SPOKE WITH A FORMER
U.S. ATTORNEY WHO CALLED THIS
QUOTE, THE BIGGEST FRAUD IN A
GENERATION IS IT POSSIBLE FOR
THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO
RECOVER ANY OF THE BILLIONS
AND FRAUDSTERS TOOK FROM THE
PPP PROGRAM. SURE, JOE,
THEY'RE GOING TO RECOVER SOME
BILLIONS. A SMALL NUMBER OF
BILLIONS. BUT THE VAST
MAJORITY OF IT EXPERTS TELL ME
IS PROBABLY ON RECOVERABLE AND
IT'S IT'S BEEN REALLY
DIFFICULT. AS I'VE BEEN
REPORTING ON THIS TO CONVEY
THE ENORMOUS SCOPE OF THIS
FRAUD. ONE WAY TO THINK ABOUT
JOE IS THAT BY SOME ESTIMATES,
THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WAS
MISSPENT AND STOLEN RIVALS THE
AMOUNT OF FEDERAL MONEY THAT'S
IN PRESIDENT BIDEN'S TENURE
INFRASTRUCTURE PROGRAM. SO
THIS IS REAL MONEY THAT COULD
HAVE PAID FOR ROADS AND
BRIDGES AND SUBWAYS AND SCHOOL
LUNCHES AND STUDENT LOANS AND
ALL KINDS OF STUFF. IT WASN'T
ALL STOLEN AS IN GONE OUT OF
THE COUNTRY. BUT A LOT OF IT
WENT TO THE WRONG HANDS OF
PEOPLE WHO DIDN'T NEED IT
BECAUSE JOE THERE WERE NO
CHECKS ON THESE PPP LOANS THAT
THE BASICALLY THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION DESIGN THE THAT
WAS INTENDED TO SHOVEL MONEY
OUT THE DOOR WITH NO SCRUTINY
BECAUSE THEY BELIEVE THAT ANY
KIND OF SECURITY CHECKS WOULD
SLOW THE PROGRAM DOWN AND
PEOPLE DIDN'T NEED THE MONEY.
BUT EXPERTS HAVE SINCE SAID
THAT WAS A RIDICULOUS
DECISION. I MEAN, COMPANIES
LIKE AMAZON AND GOOGLE TO
SECURE TRANSACTIONS EVERY DAY
RAPIDLY AND THEY VERIFY WHO
THEY'RE DOING BUSINESS WITH.
>> THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
DIDN'T. AND NOW YOU HAVE
PEOPLE SPENDING MONEY ON
FERRARI'S LAMBORGHINI'S
MANSIONS. I STOOD IN FRONT OF
FAMILY SINGLE-FAMILY HOME IN
MIAMI. THE THAT THE COUPLE GOT
A MILLION DOLLARS FOR SAYING
IT WAS A FARM ALL ANYBODY HAD
TO DO IS DRIVE OUT THERE TO
FIND OUT IT WASN'T A FARM, BUT
THEY GOT THE MILLION DOLLARS.
NOW THEY'VE BEEN PROSECUTED.
BUT THEY'RE ONE OF THE FEW
JOE. SO HERE'S AN INTERESTING
EXAMPLE OF LEICESTER'S
REPORTING MENTIONED A
CALIFORNIA COUPLE CONVICTED OF
STEALING 18 MILLION DOLLARS.
THE FBI SAYS.
>> AND IT CUT OFF THEIR ANKLE
BRACELETS. THEY FLED THE
COUNTRY. WILL THEY WERE
AWAITING SENTENCING. MOST OF
THE DEFENDANTS IN THESE CASES
HAVE BEEN FREED WHILE AWAITING
TRIAL OR SENTENCING DESPITE
STEALING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
ARE BEING ACCUSED OF STEALING
MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. WHY IS
THAT? YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GREAT
QUESTION. HAS A LOT TO DO WITH
COVID. OBVIOUSLY DURING THE
COVID PANDEMIC, FEWER PEOPLE
ARE BEING SENT TO JAIL AND
BAIL IS DESIGNED MAINLY FOR
VIOLENT OFFENDERS. BUT.
>> BEEN A LOT OF THESE THERE'S
A A COMPUTER SOFTWARE ENGINEER
JUST DOWN THE ROAD FROM ME WHO
IT WAS ACCUSED OF STEALING
17 MILLION DOLLARS WAS ALSO
LIVE OUT ON AN ANKLE MONITOR
THE OTHER DAY. PROSECUTORS
ACCUSED HIM OF TRYING TO
DEFRAUD A BANK AGAIN AND SEND
HIM TO JAIL. SO THIS IS
HAPPENING, JOANNE AND IT'S
REALLY A FAILURE OF THE
CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO
TAKE THIS MATTER IT'S NOT
VIOLENT CRIME, BUT IT IS A
GREAT INJURY TO THE AMERICAN
PUBLIC CAN ALL THIS BEGS THE
QUESTION, WHAT IS BEING DONE
TO MAKE SURE THIS LEVEL OF
FRIED DOESN'T HAPPEN AGAIN. SO
THE GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION TIGHTEN
DOWN ON SOME OF THE VERY AND
INCREASE THE VERIFICATION ON
SOME OF THESE PPP LOANS AND
OTHER KINDS OF COVID. RELIEF
MONEY. BUT I REALLY FEEL LIKE
THE COUNTRY HAS NOT COME TO
GRIPS WITH THE DRAMATIC
FAILURE HERE AND THERE HAVEN'T
BEEN THE KINDS OF HIGH-PROFILE
CONGRESSIONAL HEARINGS THAT
THIS MATTER DESERVES. THERE
HASN'T BEEN ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
THE PEOPLE WHO DESIGNED THIS
PROGRAM. AND JOE, THERE'S ONLY
BEEN A 178 CONVICTIONS OF
PEOPLE FOR COVID FRAUD AND
EXPERTS BELIEVE THERE WERE
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO STOLE
THE MONEY. AND SADLY MOST OF
THEM WILL GET AWAY WITH THE
PRETTY LOW PERCENTAGE RIGHT
THERE. ALL RIGHT, KEN, THANKS
SO MUCH FOR YOUR REPORTING.