CARES Act

As Congress and the White House negotiate another trillion dollars in emergency COVID-19 relief, the feds are investigating fraud and abuse of last year’s money. The News4 I-Team learned of dozens of investigations into misuse of the stimulus money already distributed from Washington. Scott MacFarlane reports a new fraud investigator is leading the review.

Government aid programs have long been fertile ground for scammers, but the scale of the fraud in the unemployment program created by the CARES Act has reached a staggering level, state and federal officials say. The Labor Department inspector general has yet to complete a full investigation but, based on previous programs, estimates at least $63 billion of the $630…

A little known tax change may help you keep more money in the bank while helping your favorite charity. The CARES Act, which was signed into law last spring, allows you to deduct a cash donation without having to itemize your 2020 taxes. Under this special tax provision, you can claim a donation up to $300 even if you take…

The CARES Act allows you to deduct a cash donation without having to itemize your 2020 taxes. Consumer Reporter Susan Hogan reports.

A Brooklyn man was arrested Monday on charges of defrauding the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of almost $2 million. Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn charged Leon Miles, 51, of using the money to purchase a 2020 Bentley Continental for $250,000 and a 2020 Cadillac Escalade for $100,000. The PPP is part of the CARES Act passed by Congress in March…

It’s the time of year to start thinking about taxes — but the upcoming filing season is going to be a bit trickier for many Americans due to rampant unemployment, working from home and general upheaval due to COVID-19.

Some D.C. nonprofits say they’re finally getting money they expected in July to help distribute personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 supplies. In the spring, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser promised millions of dollars to help nonprofit groups combat the COVID-19 crisis. Organizations applied for money to buy protective gear, cleaning supplies and to launch education programs for low-income families...

Some D.C. nonprofits say they’re finally getting money they expected in July to help distribute personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 supplies.

There is growing concern about the future of many Northern Virginia group homes that serve severely disabled adults. Advocates for The Arc of Greater Prince William County say the homes have been left out of the federal CARES Act funding that is allocated by state officials. Amy Grimm, a 53-year-old resident of one of the homes, can’t speak, but her...

Northern Virginia Bureau Chief Julie Carey reports on group homes struggling to survive financially during COVID-19.

Government watchdogs are sending up a warning flare about more than $1 trillion in spending related to the coronavirus pandemic

Since March, in four separate pieces of congressionally approved legislation including the CARES Act, the federal government has spent more than $810 billion backing small business loans, yet several local business owners tell the NBC Bay Area Investigative Unit that those federal dollars have yet to find their way to those who need it the most. Stephen Stock reports.

With the coronavirus affecting the income and finances of Americans, the federal government has placed federal student loans in forbearance, which means you won’t be dinged for not paying that debt for a few months. Per the CARES Act, the federal government is suspending all automatic payments until September 30, 2020. Federal loan lenders will not report to a credit…

More than 825,000 Americans had tested positive for the coronavirus as of April 22 and more than 45,000 had died, a toll that has been striking Latinos and African Americans disproportionately hard. Latinos represented 23 percent of the cases nationwide, while making up 18 percent of the population, according to data from the Centers. For African Americans, the discrepancy is even...

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser says the city is looking for ways to reopen the local economy that’s ground to a halt as the city stems the spread of the novel coronavirus and called on the federal government to assist with widespread testing. “We’re looking at ways to reopen our economy, to get people back to work. People are really...

Less than 24 hours after the Treasury Department formally extended cash grant offers to the six largest airlines in the U.S., the union representing 120,000 flight attendants is blasting the move with a dire warning.

Small businesses are clamoring for funds from a new forgivable loan program, but some business owners, particularly those with high rents and low labor costs, may not benefit from the program as much as they think.