June 20, 2023 — In the rush to get COVID aid out as fast as possible, about half of the money paid to New Jersey fisheries from CARES Act funding may have been improper and should be recovered, a state watchdog group said Tuesday.
The funds, about $7 million, may have been wrongly paid out by the state Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), which administered the program, according to the Office of the State Comptroller (OSC).
The agency said its reviews, and the reviews of an independent integrity monitor, found payments to 37 marine fisheries did not appear to meet program guidelines, OSC in a letter to DEP.