Twelve people charged in San Diego in alleged daycare fraud scheme, tell me about this news in (https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/twelve-people-charged-in-san-diego-in-alleged-daycare-fraud-scheme/4074577/)

Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of California charged 12 individuals across San Diego and El Cajon for orchestrating alleged “ghost” daycare operations that fraudulently obtained more than $10 million in government-funded childcare subsidies.

Key details of the case:

• The Scheme: The defendants obtained California state licenses to operate in-home childcare facilities and registered with organizations such as Child Development Associates (CDA) and the YMCA to receive federal and state childcare subsidies meant to assist low-income families.

• The Allegations: Prosecutors allege the operators routinely submitted falsified monthly attendance sheets claiming to care for dozens of children every day. In reality, law enforcement surveillance and investigations revealed few to no children ever attended the facilities. In some instances, operators claimed reimbursement for childcare services during periods they were traveling outside the United States.

• The Scale: Across the separate operations, the defendants collectively siphoned over $10 million in taxpayer funds, with individual defendants receiving anywhere from $300,000 to over $1 million each.

• Arrests and Law Enforcement: More than 250 federal, state, and local law enforcement officers executed search warrants across a dozen San Diego-area properties and arrested all 12 defendants. The joint operation involved the U.S. Department of Justice, the IRS Criminal Investigation division, and local authorities.