Add The California Post on Google California Republican Congressman Ken Calvert will introduce a bill Thursday imposing mandatory minimum prison sentences to crack down on rampant fraud.
Under the “Zero Tolerance for Fraudsters Act,” individuals convicted of large-scale fraud would face mandatory minimum prison sentences of at least one year for offenses involving between $1 million and $5 million, while anyone convicted of fraud worth $5 million or more must serve at least five years.
“Thanks to Democrat-led states like California and Minnesota, fraud is running wild in America. I am introducing the Zero Tolerance for Fraudsters Act to protect American taxpayers who are sick and tired of being taken advantage of,” Rep. Calvert told The California Post.
“If Gavin Newsom and his liberal allies won’t do anything to help prevent these actions, then Congress needs to step up and ensure our federal prosecutors can lock up these criminals,” he added.
The legislation would also enforce maximum prison sentences of 20 years for fraud offenses over $5 million, anything less than that would incur a maximum of 10 years.
The bill would cover mail fraud, wire fraud, healthcare fraud, and making false statements to the government while restricting judges across the country from imposing sentences below the mandated minimums outline in the bill in relevant cases.
While there currently is no mandatory minimum prison sentence for fraud in California, the punishment typically ranges from 16 months to several years in jail — however, the severity of the case and the monetary amount could add significant time.
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Rep. Calvert told The Post enforcing mandatory minimum prison sentences will prevent fraudsters from getting let “off with a slap on the wrist.”
“The federal guidelines are simply advisory,” Calvert said. “Far too often we’ve seen liberal judges let these fraudsters off with a slap on the wrist. Some of them avoid jail time altogether. We have to send a clear message and have a strong deterrent for people who think they can rip off taxpayers.”
The legislation comes as California continues to remain in the spotlight for widespread fraud, specifically in healthcare.
In the greater LA area, there is roughly $3.5 billion in home health and hospice fraud each year, a healthcare industry source told The Post.
Earlier this week, 45-year-old doctor Violetta Mailyan was convicted by a federal jury for committing $45 million in medicare fraud that funded her luxury lifestyle.
