Not Just Minnesota: How Tax Dollars Are at Risk of Fraud in This State |
More than $250 million in federal funding for Illinois programs risked misuse due to poor monitoring, state audits show.
With Minnesota facing scrutiny over a massive fraud scandal, Illinois is among other states that have continued receiving federal funding despite scathing audits.
Illinois state officials failed to perform required risk assessments for more than $250 million in COVID-19 housing relief and crime victim assistance, leading independent auditors to issue “adverse opinions” stating that the programs did not comply with federal requirements.
Federal regulations require independent audits for state and local government entities receiving federal funding. Such audits are made available to Congress and federal agencies.
“If a corporation received an adverse opinion, or even a qualified opinion, the IRS, the SEC, and probably Congress would be all over them,” Sheila Weinberg, CEO of Truth in Accounting, an Illinois-based fiscal watchdog group, told The Daily Signal.
“With government agencies, bad reports continue, and nothing ever happens.”
The Illinois Department of Human Services didn’t conduct federally-required monitoring of the $177 million in spending for the COVID-19 House Assistance Fund, according to the