“The Great Grift”
There is a freshwater spring in Sweetheart Island, a two-acre uninhabited area just off the coast of Yankeetown, Florida. It’s a serene place with beautiful views, and for Florida businessman Patrick Parker Walsh, it seemed like an ideal getaway. However, he’s now serving five and a half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that he used to buy Sweetheart Island.
Walsh is one of many who perpetrated pandemic fraud, potentially plundering more than $280 billion in federal COVID-19 aid. They spent the stolen money on expensive items such as luxury watches, diamond jewelry, cars, gambling sprees, and vacations. The thieves came from all walks of life and from all corners of the globe.
Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged with COVID-19 relief fraud. However, investigators won’t catch every crook as the scale and scope of the fraud are too large. The government has created special “strike forces” to hunt down COVID-19 aid thieves and vowed not to give up the chase.
Dr. Konstantinos Zarkadas and Lee E. Price III are examples of fraudsters who used the stolen funds to finance lavish lifestyles. Zarkadas falsified at least 11 separate applications for pandemic aid that netted him almost $3.8 million; Price swindled nearly $1.7 million by submitting bogus aid applications on behalf of fake businesses.
Another example is Vinath Oudomsine who created a fake company to receive pandemic aid money and spent nearly $58,000 on a 1999 Charizard Pokémon card.
Patrick Walsh’s bid to save his aerial advertising businesses started out legitimately but quickly escalated into sizable fraud. His companies had sales of $16 million before the pandemic hit, but between March 2020 and January 2021 Walsh submitted more than 30 fraudulent applications for emergency pandemic aid and received $7.8 million.
He wasn’t motivated by greed but desperation to rescue his businesses and support his large family, according to his attorneys. However, U.S. District Judge Allen C. Winsor didn’t buy that argument when sentencing Walsh in January to more than five years behind bars.
Hot Take
The case of Patrick Parker Walsh is just one example of how greed led individuals to commit fraudulent acts during the pandemic while taking advantage of governmental programs meant to help those in need during these difficult times. Such cases demonstrate the need for increased oversight and safeguards in distributing emergency funds intended for relief efforts.
Source: [AP News](https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-business-health-florida-covid-19-pandemic-d2b3f166c2ba80ee4a7205e4f1b9c22a)
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