Federal district · prosecutions
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts
41 pandemic-relief fraud prosecution records for the District of Massachusetts, naming 41 defendants. By program: 20 PPP, 8 EIDL, 13 unemployment insurance. 5 have a case page in the archive. An amount is stated for 40 of them, from $5,437 to $13,000,000. Source dates run from 2021-11-04 to 2026-05-28.
Cases
41 defendants · 9 with a case page · sorted by amount, largest first
| Defendant | Case page | Program | Charge | Amount | Disposition | Sentence | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elijah Majak Buoi | Owner of Tech Services Company Sentenced to More than Three Years in Prison for $13 Million COVID-Relief Fraud | PPP | wire fraud and false statements to a financial institution | $13,000,000 PPP loan funds sought in fraudulent applications | guilty plea | 39 months | 2022-06-17 |
| Yomi Jones Olayeye | UI/PUA | wire fraud conspiracy; wire fraud; aggravated identity theft | $10,000,000 intended loss | guilty plea | 70 months | 2025-10 | |
| Vinicius Santana | Florida Man Sentenced for $2.5 Million COVID-Relief Fraud | PPP | one count of wire fraud and one count of unlawful monetary transactions | $2,500,000 amount of PPP loan funds obtained | plea | 29 months | 2023-09-27 |
| Luz Paulino | EIDL | bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | $2,100,000 amount sought | plea | 54 months | 2024-10-11 | |
| Daniel Cleggett | DOJ Usao Ma Press Release Operator Sober Homes Sentenced Six Years Prison Fraud Schemes I 2026 01 09 | EIDL | two counts of wire fraud conspiracy; one count of conspiracy to make false statements to a mortgage lending business (mortgage fraud conspiracy); 25 counts of wire fraud; six counts of unlawful monetary transactions (money laundering); and three counts of making false statements to a mortgage lending business | $1,856,329 restitution ordered | plea | 72 months | 2026-01-09 |
| Joao Mendes | Joao Mendes, 60, Was Sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton to 27 Months in Prison — Boston | PPP/EIDL | wire fraud, money laundering | $1,542,759 proceeds received | plea | 27 months | 2024-04-10 |
| Loc Vo | 2023 07 26 Brighton Food Truck Business Owner Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For B9cc97b2 | PPP | one count of wire fraud | $1,516,606 proceeds received | plea | 24 months | 2023-07-26 |
| Danielle Miller | D. Mass. No. 1:21-cr-10228 | EIDL/UI | wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, identity theft | $1,200,000 proceeds received | plea | 60 months | 2023-09-07 |
| Dana L. McIntyre | 2023 08 30 Former North Shore Pizzeria Owner Sentenced To Two Years In Prison For C 8a9ad921 | PPP | wire fraud, money laundering | $679,156 proceeds received | plea | 24 months | 2023-08-30 |
| Roosevelt Fernandez | United States v. Fernandez | EIDL, Tax Fraud, Stimulus | wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | $620,000 loss alleged | sentenced | 60 months | 2022-05-12 |
| Lilly Nguyen | United States v. Lilly Nguyen | UI | conspiracy to commit wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | $526,423 proceeds received | plea | 24 months | 2022-05-12 |
| Daniel Maleus | Two Stoneham Residents Arrested on Charges of Identity Theft and Unemployment Fraud Related to COVID-19 Pandemic | UI | conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, and aggravated identity theft | $526,423 fraudulent PUA claims | guilty plea | 36 months | 2022-04-12 |
| Adley Bernadin | Stoughton Man Sentenced for $400,000 COVID Fraud Scheme | PPP | wire fraud | $400,000 obtained | guilty plea | 15 months | 2022-11-07 |
| Raquel Pena | Lawrence Woman Arrested for Identity Theft and Unemployment Fraud Related to COVID-19 Pandemic | UI | wire fraud and aggravated identity theft | $360,700 obtained | plea | 36 months | 2021-11-04 |
| Ronald Buie | EIDL/UI | one count of wire fraud | $304,237 restitution ordered reflecting the fraud scheme involving business loans and unemployment relief | guilty plea | 18 months | 2022-06-24 | |
| Randolph Dominguez | Lawrence Man Sentenced to 15 Months in Prison for COVID Relief Fraud and Social Security Fraud | PPP/EIDL | wire fraud, theft of government money | $274,119 fraudulently obtained (EIDL + PPP + Social Security theft) | guilty plea | 15 months | 2025-05-23 |
| Tiffany Tavery | Former Department of Unemployment Assistance Employee Sentenced to 42 Months in Prison for COVID-19 Fraud Scheme | UI | wire fraud, conspiracy, aggravated identity theft | $240,000 largest figure in the release | sentenced | 42 months | 2022-04-28 |
| Arthur Pacheco | Former New Bedford Man Sentenced for Unemployment Fraud Related to COVID-19 Pandemic | UI | wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | $240,000 largest figure in the release | guilty plea | 12 months | 2021-11-18 |
| Patrick Joseph | Stoughton Man Sentenced to Over 11 Years for Role in Cocaine Trafficking Conspiracy and Bank and Wire Fraud Scheme Memorandum and Order on Defendant's Motion to Suppress Wire and Electronic Communications (D. Mass., Dkt. 395) | PPP | conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute five kilograms or more of cocaine and cocaine base, wire fraud, bank fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud | $220,000 proceeds received | plea | 138 months | 2024-06-21 |
| Yves Montima | Stoughton Man Sentenced for Bank Fraud Scheme Related to COVID-19 Pandemic Assistance — USAO Massachusetts | PPP | conspiracy, bank fraud | $220,000 fraudulent PPP loan proceeds from 12 applications | plea | 2023-09-06 | |
| Richard Oworae | Worcester Man Sentenced for Fraud and Identity Theft Charges Related to COVID-19 Pandemic | EIDL | three counts of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft | $194,700 applications through SBA’s website for at least three Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) | guilty plea | 24 months | 2023-09-26 |
| Ferris Brooks | Plymouth Man Sentenced for Submitting Multiple Fraudulent Claims for Pandemic Relief | EIDL, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, Economic Impact Payments | theft of government property | $150,000 total payout of fraudulent claims | plea | 2024-06-03 | |
| Wagner Sozi | Malden Man Indicted for CARES Act Pandemic Unemployment Fraud and Identity Fraud | UI | two counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft and one count of making a false claim | $110,000 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits and fraudulent credit card accounts | guilty plea | 39 months | 2021-12-08 |
| Teshawnda Knight | UI | wire fraud, conspiracy | $105,250 fraudulently obtained PUA benefits | guilty plea | 18 months | 2025-02-03 | |
| Shane Spierdowis | 2022 02 24 Hull Man Sentenced For Fraudulently Submitting Cares Act Small Business Da9e1cac | PPP/EIDL | wire fraud, conspiracy | $101,517 Confirmed PPP loan amount obtained; EIDL amount not specified | plea | 24 months | 2022-02-24 |
| Aaron Fernandes | PUA (Massachusetts DUA) | Larceny over $1200 (3 counts); Unemployment Fraud (2 counts); Identity Fraud (1 count); Conspiracy to Commit Larceny (1 count) | $97,000 scheme_total_alleged | Guilty plea / House of Corrections + probation | 6 months | 2023-10-16 (arraignment) | |
| William Cordor | Leicester Man Indicted in Unemployment and SBA Loan Fraud Related to Covid-19 Pandemic | EIDL/UI | conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | $79,000 largest figure in the release | plea | 33 months | 2022-06-17 |
| Wilson Radhames Peguero Brea | Boston Man Sentenced for Identity Theft and Unemployment Fraud Related to COVID-19 Pandemic | UI | wire fraud, aggravated identity theft | $65,000 proceeds received | plea | 28 months | 2023-01-11 |
| Christnel Orisca | United States v. Christnel Orisca — D. Mass., No. 1:24-cr-10378-JEK | PPP/PUA/UI | five counts of wire fraud, one count of making a false statement to a financial institution | $54,700 unemployment benefits and small business loan funds | plea | 2026-05-28 | |
| Daniel Olivar | Boxing Gym Owner Sentenced for COVID Fraud Scheme | PPP/EIDL/UI | wire fraud (4 counts) | $50,844 PPP, EIDL, UI fraud | plea | 6 months | 2024-01-30 |
| Rindal Pierre-Canel | Former Massachusetts Resident Living in California Sentenced for PPP Fraud — Rindal Pierre-Canel, Boston | PPP | three counts of wire fraud | $50,000 seeking and receiving over $50,000 in PPP funds | plea | 2 years probation | 2025-11-13 |
| Antawn Davis | Man Sentenced to Prison for Fraudulently Obtaining Nearly $50,000 | PPP | false statements, wire fraud, conspiracy | $49,999 loan proceeds received | plea | 5 months | 2024-11-18 |
| Dean A. Tran | DOJ Usao Ma Press Release Former Massachusetts State Senator Sentenced 18 Months Prison 2025 02 07 | UI | 20 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns | $48,427 total restitution ordered for pandemic unemployment fraud and tax loss | trial conviction | 18 months | 2025-02-07 |
| Ismael Rosado Jr. | DOJ Usao Ma Press Release Former Tsa Security Officer Sentenced Fraudulently Obtaining Pa 2026 05 21 | UI/PUA | Wire fraud (1 count) | $47,526 unemployment benefits received | plea | 3 years probation | 2026-05-21 |
| Chynna Savath | United States v. Chynna Savath — D. Mass., No. 1:21-cr-10269-RGS | PPP, EIDL | two counts of wire fraud | $34,391 total fraudulent payments obtained from the EIDL and PPP loan programs | plea | 3 years probation | 2022-06-24 |
| Wigenie Francois | United States v. Wigenie Francois — PPP wire fraud case, D. Mass. | PPP | wire fraud, false claims | $20,833 loan proceeds received | plea | 1 years probation | 2026-03-12 |
| Robert Platt Jr. | Boston Man Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-Relief Funds Judgment in a Criminal Case — United States v. Robert Platt, Jr., District of Massachusetts (Document 47) | PPP | wire fraud, false statements, conspiracy | $20,833 loan proceeds received | plea | 2024-12-19 | |
| Jameela Gross | Woman Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining COVID-Relief Funds | PPP | wire fraud, conspiracy, false statements | $18,750 PPP loan fraud proceeds | plea | 2025-02-13 | |
| Aticha Jittaphol | USA v. Jittaphol — U.S. District Court, District of Massachusetts | PPP/EIDL | false statements in federal loan applications (two counts) | $7,066 fraudulent payments obtained from the EIDL and PPP programs | plea | 2 months | 2022-06-24 |
| Donna Wasson | United States v. Wasson | UI | three counts of wire fraud | $5,437 amount of COVID-19-related unemployment assistance fraudulently claimed | guilty plea | 18 months | 2022-03-08 |
| Adiana Pierre | United States v. Adiana Pierre — D. Mass., No. 1:24-cr-10007-MJJ | PPP | conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to engage in unlawful monetary transactions | guilty plea | 17 months | 2024-06-10 |
Data and method
Each row is one row of the pandemic-relief sentences table, printed as that table prints it: defendant, program, charge, amount and its basis, disposition, and the date of the source the row was read from. A blank cell is a blank cell in the table. The sentence column states the months of imprisonment the table records, or the years of probation where it records no custodial term. A case page is linked only where a case page in this district names the defendant; 5 of the 41 rows do. District is the table’s own district field, resolved to this court. Rows whose district field names only a state with more than one federal district are not placed on any district page. A date the table writes in another form is restated as YYYY-MM-DD; a cell that is not a date is printed as it stands. An amount of $1 billion or more is left out: those cells carry a program appropriation quoted in the source release, not a sum attributed to the defendant. Some defendants have more than one row because the table read them from more than one source.
Court hub: U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts — every filing in the archive from this court, with the case pages it holds.