10 Years Statute of Limitations Proposed for SVOG and RRF Loan Fraud

April 3, 2025

Bob Coleman
Founder & Publisher

Fraud Friday — 10 Years Statute of Limitations Proposed for SVOG and RRF Loan Fraud

House Committee on Small Business Chairman Roger Williams and Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship Chair Joni Ernst are introducing the SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act.

The bill extends the statute of limitations to 10 years for fraud surrounding the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant and the Restaurant Revitalization Fund COVID relief programs.

A similar action was taken in 2022 to extend the statute of limitations for fraud in the PPP and EIDL loan programs also to 10 years.

“The SBA distributes millions of dollars to small businesses in need every year. However, where small business owners found the capital needed to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, bad actors saw the opportunity to defraud the government,” says Chairman Williams. 

“It is imperative that every fraudster who stole and exploited taxpayer dollars during our nation’s utmost hour of need be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. As we approach the five-year anniversary of the pandemic and its lockdowns, the statute of limitations must be extended to ensure that no fraudster gets away scot-free.”

Senate Chair Joni Ernst adds, “I will not allow criminals to run out the clock and escape justice simply because the Biden administration was asleep at the wheel. Thousands of hardworking small businesses were deprived of desperately needed relief because swindlers, gang members, and felons cashing in on COVID drained the programs. Every single con artist who stole from taxpayers will be held accountable.”

Source: House Committee Press Release