The Fraudulent Covid Funds Recovery Act would extend the time limit for federal prosecutors to bring criminal charges related to fraudulent use of pandemic relief money from the standard five years to ten years. The bill applies to fraud involving major Covid-era programs including the CARES Act, Paycheck Protection Program, American Rescue Plan, and other pandemic relief legislation enacted between 2020 and 2021. This change would give prosecutors twice as long to investigate and prosecute cases involving misuse of the billions of dollars distributed through these programs. The bill was introduced by Senator James Lankford and Senator Joni Ernst in December 2024 and has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. No specific funding is required, as this legislation simply modifies the legal timeframe for existing criminal prosecution authority.
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