The Great Grift: COVID-19 fraudster used stolen relief aid to purchase a private island in Florida

Patrick Parker Walsh is one of thousands of thieves who perpetrated the greatest grift in U.S. history — potentially plundering more than $280 billion in federal COVID-19 aid. Walsh is currently serving five and half years in federal prison for stealing nearly $8 million in COVID-19 relief funds that he used, in part, to buy a Florida island. While Walsh’s private island ranks among the most unusual purchases by pandemic aid fraudsters, his crime was not unique. The scammers who defrauded the government spent lavishly on houses, luxury watches, diamond jewelry, strip clubs and gambling sprees. Authorities vow to track down the fraudsters. Nearly 3,200 defendants have been charged with COVID-19 relief fraud, according to the U.S. Justice Department.