Reports

A federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment on Tuesday charging two Provo, Utah, men with conspiring to steal over $5.5 million from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) through a fictitious payroll and bank fraud scheme. A third defendant previously pleaded guilty.

BOSTON – A Charlton, Mass. woman pleaded guilty today in federal court in Worcester to fraudulently obtaining Social Security benefits and pension payments.

Baltimore, Maryland – A Maryland man, who previously decided to stand trial stemming from bank-fraud crimes, changed his mind and pled guilty on the first day of his federal trial. Eric Tano Tataw, 39, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, pled guilty to bank fraud in connection with multiple fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans for his company, National Telegraph, LLC.

Tampa, FL – Caleb Walsh (36, Apollo Beach) has been charged by federal indictment with bank fraud, wire fraud, and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted on all counts, Walsh faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Walsh that the United States intends to forfeit a Mercedes Benz G-Wagon, a hotel, and cryptocurrency, which are alleged to be traceable to proceeds of the offense. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and stealing both a U.S. Treasury tax refund check and a check from a New York law firm.

YASIR G. HAMED, 60, of Woodbridge, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport to 32 months of imprisonment and three years of supervised release for defrauding a COVID-19 pandemic relief program of more than $2.3 million.

BOSTON – A New York real estate developer and investor has been charged in connection with a scheme to defraud pandemic relief programs in 2020 and 2021.