Associated Press reporter Richard Lardner kayaks to Sweetheart Island, off the coast of Yankeetown, Fla., on Aug. 5, 2023. Patrick Parker Walsh is serving five and half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds that he used, in part, to buy the island. (AP Photo/Julio Aguilar)
November 10, 2023
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November 10, 2023 11 a.m.
The Great Grift: COVID-19 aid thieves bought fancy cars, a Pokemon card - even a private island
Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged with COVID-19 relief fraud, according to the U.S. Justice Department. About $1.4 billion in stolen pandemic aid has been seized.