Trump wants tougher jail terms for fraudsters targeting Americans

US President Donald Trump...Photo by Annabelle GORDON / AFP)

United States President Donald Trump has threatened lengthy prison sentences for fraudsters targeting Americans through Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security programmes, warning that state and local politicians who knowingly fail to stop fraud could be held personally liable for the losses.

Trump made the announcement in a video released on Saturday, calling on Congress to pass legislation introducing mandatory minimum sentences for people who steal from the benefit programmes.

He said the proposed legislation would eliminate probation as an option for offenders convicted of the fraud.

“Under our proposal, probation is no longer an option for the fraudsters. If you steal from the American people, you will go to prison and for a long period of time,” Trump said.

The President added that the length of prison sentences would depend on the amount stolen, while repeat offenders would face doubled sentences.

“And the more you steal, the longer you’ll stay in that prison. Not only that, but if you’re a convicted fraudster who gets caught stealing from the American people a second time, your sentence will be doubled,” he said.

Trump said the proposed legislation would also target public officials who knowingly ignored fraud despite having the authority to stop it.

He argued that state and local politicians who failed to act should bear financial responsibility for the losses suffered by American taxpayers.

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“Under our proposal, if a state or local politician knows about fraud and has the ability to stop it, but does nothing about it, they can be personally liable for the full loss of the American taxpayers’ money that they should have stopped and they should have saved,” he said.

Trump said the measures were intended to deter people from defrauding the government and discourage politicians from ignoring fraudulent activities they could prevent.

“This legislative proposal will make fraudsters think long and hard before they keep stealing from the American people and will make crooked and corrupt politicians think also long and hard before they ignore fraud that they can stop and that they should stop,” he said.

Medicare and Medicaid are government programmes that provide health coverage to eligible Americans, while Social Security provides benefits including retirement income.

Trump ended his message with a warning to people involved in fraud, saying, “So from now on, fraudsters, we’re watching you.”