In the coming days, weeks, and months, you can be certain that there will be many attempts to commit different types of COVID-19 related fraud. (Fraudsters are always looking for new and innovative reasons to steal money or government benefits and the current pandemic is a perfect opportunity to do so.)
Santwon Antonio Davis, 34, of Morrow, Georgia is charged with lying to his employer – a Fortune 500 company with a facility in Atlanta. He falsely claimed that he had COVID-19. Before admitting that he lied to his employer, the company closed the facility for a deep cleaning out of concern for its employees and customers. The company paid employees during the shutdown and required several employees to be unnecessarily quarantined. (The precautions cost the company more than $100,000.)
Davis convinced his employer that he was infected with COVID-19 by submitting a falsified medical record to the company. Although the company repeatedly contacted the purportedly sick employee to obtain a copy of the positive COVID-19 test, Davis never provided it. (He wasn’t sick with COVID-19, but possibly just sick of working.)
While the Georgia man has been charged with fraud for falsely claiming he had COVID-19, it’s important to remember that the defendant is presumed innocent of the charges unless the government proves he is guilty. This case is a reassurance of how Georgia’s Coronavirus Fraud Task Force is remaining vigilant in detecting, investigating, and prosecuting anyone who attempts to defraud during the COVID-19 pandemic. (You can be sure that other states across the nation are also busy fighting COVID-19 fraud to protect you from becoming a victim.)
Today’s Fraud of the Day comes from an article, “Georgia man charged with fraud for falsely claiming he was infected with Covid-19, federal prosecutors say,” published by CNN on May 22, 2020.
A Georgia man is charged with defrauding his employer by falsely claiming he was infected with Covid-19, federal prosecutors say.
Santwon Antonio Davis, 34, of Morrow, a suburb of Atlanta, worked for a Fortune 500 company with a facility in the Atlanta area, according to a news release from the US attorney’s office in Atlanta.
