A $93 million COVID relief fraud case has led to federal charges against four Californians, with shocking details including an attempted murder plot to silence a key figure. Prosecutors say this is the largest COVID tax credit scheme ever uncovered.
Key Facts:
- Four Californians—Kristerpher Turner, Toriano Knox, Kenya Jones, and Joyce Johnson—were indicted June 11 for a $93 million COVID tax fraud scheme.
- The group submitted fraudulent FFCRA tax credit claims for 148 companies, many of which were fake.
- The IRS issued at least $93 million in Treasury checks based on these false claims.
- Three defendants allegedly tried to murder Turner in 2023 to stop him from cooperating with law enforcement; he survived but is now paralyzed.
- Charges include mail fraud, conspiracy, and attempted murder, carrying potential sentences of up to life in prison.
The Rest of The Story:
Federal authorities say the fraud scheme involved manipulating the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA), which offered tax credits to employers who provided paid pandemic-related leave.
Turner and his co-conspirators allegedly used real and fake businesses to claim these credits, even though no leave was paid out.
They also filed claims on behalf of relatives, friends, and romantic partners.
Turner reportedly charged a hefty 20% to 40% cut from each fraudulent refund.
The group submitted claims totaling nearly $248 million between 2020 and 2024, with the IRS paying out at least $93 million.
As the IRS began to investigate, tensions inside the group exploded.
On August 29, 2023, Knox, Jones, and others allegedly attempted to kill Turner to keep him quiet.
Turner was shot multiple times and left paralyzed.
All four now face serious federal charges.
Four Southern California suspects were charged with allegedly defrauding the government of $93 million through a COVID tax fraud scheme, the largest of its kind in the U.S., according to the FBI.
Details: https://t.co/NGCKl7L90F pic.twitter.com/a8vJkLZSht— KTLA (@KTLA) June 27, 2025
Commentary:
The sheer audacity of this scheme is mind-blowing.
These individuals didn’t just exploit a government aid program—they built an entire criminal operation out of it.
The fact that over $93 million actually made it out the door is a disgrace to the oversight systems in place.
This wasn’t a one-off scam.
These defendants operated over four years, fabricating 148 companies to rob taxpayers under the cover of a national emergency.
It’s beyond disturbing to think about how easily they gamed the system that was meant to help struggling families and businesses.
Even worse is how they turned on each other.
The attempted murder of Turner, allegedly by his own co-conspirators, sounds like something straight out of a crime thriller.
That kind of cold-blooded betrayal reveals just how toxic these fraud rings can become when money and risk collide.
Pandemic relief was supposed to be a lifeline.
But in cases like this, it became a cash cow for criminals who saw the chaos as a golden opportunity.
Their greed wasn’t satisfied with millions in stolen money—they tried to silence a member permanently to avoid getting caught.
The numbers from this and similar cases should serve as a wake-up call.
Earlier this year, another group tried to steal $600 million using the same kind of fraud.
These aren’t isolated cases—they’re systemic threats to taxpayer dollars and public trust.
The fact that over 3,000 defendants have already been charged in pandemic fraud cases shows how widespread the abuse really was.
We may never know the full amount stolen, but conservative estimates point to hundreds of billions of dollars lost.
Thankfully, agencies like the Pandemic Response Accountability Committee have helped claw back some funds.
Their efforts show that aggressive oversight can work—but it needs to continue.
Letting programs like PRAC expire now would be foolish.
Congress should treat this as a national security issue.
Fraud on this scale damages more than just the balance sheet—it erodes faith in government competence.
Continued funding for fraud detection and enforcement should be a bipartisan priority.
The Bottom Line:
A group of Californians exploited COVID tax credits in what’s believed to be the largest pandemic relief fraud yet, stealing over \$93 million and even attempting murder to cover it up.
Their arrest exposes serious gaps in oversight and highlights how vulnerable emergency aid programs were.
As more cases come to light, it’s clear pandemic fraud was not just widespread but deeply organized.
Preventing future abuse requires stronger oversight, continued funding for enforcement, and serious consequences for those who treat taxpayer money like a personal slush fund.
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