With the $2.2 trillion stimulus of the CARES Act comes the prospect of unprecedented fraud and abuse in sectors of the economy able to take advantage of the funding. Businesses able to secure CARES Act relief should consider protecting themselves from the risk, one that some experts believe will lead to a decade of government investigations. Management decisions being made today about where and how to spend these subsidies will be scrutinized later by government regulators and whistleblowers alike. Observance of in-house compliance programs that companies previously designed and implemented can protect against the risk of a future investigation.
