Louisiana AG Jeff Landry and
Wisconsin AG Josh Kaul Led Coalition to Include Edith’s Bill in Coronavirus
Relief Legislation
BATON ROUGE, LA - Louisiana
Attorney General Jeff Landry and Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul are
leading a bipartisan coalition of 44 states in urging Congress to include
Edith’s Bill in Coronavirus relief legislation. Their request would amend the
Victims of Crime Act of 1984 (VOCA) to include victims of senior fraud as
eligible for reimbursement by the Crime Victims Fund for states that provide
compensation to victims.
“Scam artists know that seniors
are especially at risk from COVID-19, and these criminals are despicably
targeting our elderly who are isolated at home or separated from their families
and support networks,” said AG Landry. “Our elected officials in Washington
should recognize this public safety crisis and cast aside partisan politics to
deliver for our seniors, especially during these perilous times.”
If signed into law, Edith’s Bill
- or the Edith Shorougian Senior Victims of Fraud Compensation Act (S.
3487/H.R. 7620) - would amend VOCA so that penalties and fines from deferred
prosecution and non-prosecution agreements (including white collar criminal
conduct against seniors) are deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. The bill is
being led by Senators Tammy Baldwin (D, WI) and Bill Cassidy (R, LA) and of
Representatives Suzanne Bonamici (D, OR) and Peter King (R, NY), who both
co-chair the Elder Justice Caucus.
In a letter to those Congressional leaders, the Landry-Kaul
coalition note: across all states, there has been a surge in COVID-19 scams
targeting vulnerable seniors. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Office of Inspector General has warned that fraudsters “are offering COVID-19
tests to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for personal details, including
Medicare information.” This is unfortunately just one of many COVID-19 scams
targeting seniors.
Even after the pandemic, it is
widely expected that seniors will continue to be targeted by fraudsters. By
using this legislation to add senior fraud as an eligible reimbursement expense
under VOCA, Landry and Kaul believe states will be able to help victims receive
the financial relief they deserve as states would be incentivized - but not
mandated - by this legislation to provide compensation to victims of senior
fraud.
Joining Attorneys General Landry
and Kaul in the letter are the attorneys general of Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas,
Colorado, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii,
Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern
Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and
Wisconsin.