A judge granted the feds’ request Friday to drop charges against two defendants in a massive COVID-19 testing fraud scheme handled by the same prosecutor as the tainted “Broadview Six” case.
The dismissal marked the first case to crumble under what another judge called a “credibility crisis” swirling around U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros’ office following the collapse of the Broadview prosecution last month.
On Thursday, the feds moved to drop charges against two “low level of operators” linked to former Loretto Hospital chief financial officer Anosh Ahmed. They did so to avoid a hearing that could have put Boutros on the witness stand to address fresh allegations of prosecutorial misconduct.
“We have cases throughout this building that are all in turmoil,” U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman said while dismissing the charges Friday. “Pandora’s Box has been opened … I don’t know…
This involves defrauding the state or using government systems to steal from individuals.
- Tax Identity Theft: A criminal uses your ID and income details to file a tax return in your name and claim a refund before you do.
- Grant/Benefit Fraud: Falsely claiming unemployment, disability, or social grants that the perpetrator is not entitled to.