The Public Corruption Unit of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York on Wednesday announced that 17 current or former local government employees have been charged with fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 economic relief loans.

The schemes to secure loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Paycheck Protection Program and its Economic Injury Disaster Loan program allowed the city and state employees and two other defendants to obtain more than $1.5 million, according to prosecutors.