Oklahoma AG Hunter And US Attorney Downing Collaborating On Stopping Coronavirus (COVID-19) Fraud

State Attorney General Mike Hunter and U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma Tim Downing announced a "state-federal partnership" aimed at pursuing criminals who seek to "defraud Oklahomans during the Coronavirus emergency," according to a release from the Attorney General's Office. 

The goal of the collaboration is to help speed up the process of punishing criminals by combining state and federal resources. 

“During times of crisis, we should all be taking action to help those in need, not exploiting our neighbors for personal financial gain," Hunter said in the release. “However, it is an unfortunate reality that since the president’s emergency order, both of our offices have been inundated with calls about price gouging and scams related to the Coronavirus. We anticipate the situation worsening before it gets better. That is why U.S. Attorney Downing and I have decided to combine our efforts to expedite investigations that hold criminals accountable and keep Oklahomans safe. I appreciate his leadership and willingness to team up during this time.”

“We will work with Attorney General Mike Hunter to vigorously pursue anyone trying to capitalize on the coronavirus pandemic by cheating Oklahoma consumers, especially the State’s vulnerable elders,” Downing said in the release. “Our federal law enforcement team is actively collaborating and cooperating with the state’s top prosecutor team in a concerted effort to stop the scams relating to coronavirus. We will use both our criminal statutes and resources to hold accountable to the fullest extent possible fraudsters who engage in the commission of criminal activity during this time of crisis. I am thankful to Attorney General Mike Hunter’s office for their critical efforts to inform the public and hold criminals accountable.”

Consumers can file reports of fraud and price gouging to the Attorney General's Office.