Reports

U.S. District Judge Stephanie A. Gallagher sentenced Idowu Raji, age 40, of Baltimore County, Maryland, to 94 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit access device fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft in relation to multiple financial schemes. The Court also ordered Raji to pay $1,793,472 in restitution.

BOSTON – A Leicester woman has pleaded guilty to her involvement in a pandemic unemployment fraud scheme.

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty today to fraud, identity theft, firearm and drug offenses.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Alexander Leszczynski (22, North Redington Beach) with wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Leszczynski faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Leszczynski that the United States intends to forfeit $337,000, which represents the proceeds of the offenses, and property involved in the offenses. Leszczynski made his initial appearance on May 17, 2022, and was ordered detained pending his trial.

BOSTON – A Stoneham woman was sentenced today in connection with her involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance using stolen identities.

BOSTON – A Salem man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston in connection with orchestrating two fraud schemes involving COVID-19 relief funds and tax returns submitted using stolen identities.

BOSTON – A Boston man has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to fraud, identity theft, firearm and drug offenses.

Federal prosecutors have charged 42-year-old Royal Palm Beach, Florida resident Omar Smith with lying on a coronavirus relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining more than two hundred thousand dollars intended to help small businesses financially survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today to 27 months in prison for perpetrating a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration by fraudulently applying for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of more than $100,000 using the name of his defunct business.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence resident was sentenced today to five years in federal prison for using the stolen personal identifying information (PII) of unsuspecting individuals to defraud banks and retailers, and for fraudulently seeking more than $3.3 million dollars in small business loans earmarked for businesses impacted by the pandemic, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

BOSTON – A Charlestown man living under a false identity was sentenced today in federal court in Boston on charges arising from his use of the name and Social Security number of a U.S. citizen.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results achieved to date by the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19. Those efforts have included complementary actions by the Criminal, Asset Recovery, and Civil Divisions, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Don V. Cisternino (45, Chuluota) has been successfully extradited from Croatia to face charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegal monetary transactions. A federal grand jury in Orlando previously returned an indictment against Cisternino for these charges in February 2021. If convicted, Cisternino faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each illegal monetary transaction count, and a mandatory consecutive term of two years for...

Tacoma – A 45-year-old resident of Lekki, Nigeria, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for using stolen identities to claim hundreds of thousands of dollars in pandemic-related unemployment benefits, announced U.S. Attorney Nick Brown.

BOSTON – A former employee of the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) was sentenced yesterday for conspiring to misuse her position in an effort to obtain Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) funds through fraudulent claims, including claims using identities she stole.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the return of an indictment charging Daniel Joseph Tisone (34, Naples) with wire fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, illegal monetary transactions, and possession of ammunition by a convicted felon. If convicted, Tisone faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count (4 counts) and bank fraud count (6 counts), a 2-year minimum mandatory term of imprisonment for the aggravated identity theft counts (2 counts), up to 10 years in federal prison for each illegal monetary transaction...

Four people have been charged with participating in COVID-19 relief fraud schemes, and three of them have already pled guilty.

A Riverside County man who purported to own a pothole-repair company was found guilty by a federal jury today of fraud charges for using hundreds of thousands of dollars from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for personal expenses such as luxury cars after he obtained a PPP loan for more than $7 million on behalf of his business.

A federal jury convicted a California man today of misappropriating hundreds of thousands of dollars in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

BOSTON – A Stoneham man was sentenced today for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance using stolen personal information.

WASHINGTON – Elias Eldabbagh, 30, of Washington, D.C., pleaded guilty in federal court today to carrying out a scheme to steal more than $31 million under the CARES Act and laundering the proceeds of his scheme. Eldabbagh succeeded in stealing $2,385,000 under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL).

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A North Providence man who lives and works in Rhode Island today admitted that he filed COVID-relief unemployment applications in at least two other states, collecting more than $20,000 in benefits he was not entitled to receive, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A North Providence man who lives and works in Rhode Island today admitted that he filed COVID-relief unemployment applications in at least two other states, collecting more than $20,000 in benefits he was not entitled to receive, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

A California-licensed naturopathic doctor pleaded guilty today in the Northern District of California for scheming to sell homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and for falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards by making it appear that customers had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized Moderna vaccine.

A California-licensed naturopathic doctor pleaded guilty today in the Northern District of California for scheming to sell homeoprophylaxis immunization pellets and for falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards by making it appear that customers had received the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-authorized Moderna vaccine.

Keon Ball, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in relation to multiple identity theft schemes and fraud schemes—including schemes conducted while on probation after a past state fraud conviction and while on pre-trial release in connection with state fraud charges. As part of his plea agreement, Ball will be ordered to pay at least $715,504 in restitution.

Keon Ball, age 45, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty today to wire fraud conspiracy and aggravated identity theft in relation to multiple identity theft schemes and fraud schemes—including schemes conducted while on probation after a past state fraud conviction and while on pre-trial release in connection with state fraud charges. As part of his plea agreement, Ball will be ordered to pay at least $715,504 in restitution.

Two individuals have been arrested following the return of an indictment alleging conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud

Two individuals have been arrested following the return of an indictment alleging conspiracy to commit and committing wire fraud

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man who filed fraudulent online COVID-relief unemployment insurance claims in five states pled guilty today in federal court to a charge of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man who filed fraudulent online COVID-relief unemployment insurance claims in five states pled guilty today in federal court to a charge of wire fraud, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Daniel Joseph Tisone (34, Naples) with wire fraud, bank fraud, and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the fraud charges and up to 10 years in federal prison for the illegal monetary transaction offense.

Fort Myers, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the arrest and unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Daniel Joseph Tisone (34, Naples) with wire fraud, bank fraud, and illegal monetary transactions. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison on each of the fraud charges and up to 10 years in federal prison for the illegal monetary transaction offense.

BOSTON – A Michigan man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston in connection with his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

SAN JUAN, P.R. – On March 23, 2022, the Federal Grand Jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment charging Fernando Gallardo-Álvarez and his consensual partner Olga Rivera-Dávila with a conspiracy to commit mail, wire, and bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and money laundering violations related to fraudulently obtained funds from the Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Program, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland...

Two brothers who operated multiple South Florida addiction treatment facilities were sentenced to prison Friday for a $112 million addiction treatment fraud scheme that included paying kickbacks to patients through patient recruiters and receiving kickbacks from testing laboratories.

Two downtown Los Angeles residents were arrested today on a federal criminal complaint alleging they fraudulently obtained more than $300,000 – and attempted to obtain an additional $1 million – in COVID-relief loans for several companies they claimed to own and operate.

BOSTON – A Stoughton man was arrested and charged today in connection with allegedly filing a fraudulent loan application in order to obtain over $400,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds.

A federal jury in the Western District of North Carolina convicted two men today for the submission of fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $1.7 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

Fort Myers, Florida –United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Amber Rewis Bruey (35, Lehigh Acres) today pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and illegal monetary transactions. Her husband and co-conspirator, Anthony James Bruey, previously pleaded guilty to the same charges on February 4, 2022.

BOSTON – A New York Man pleaded guilty today to charges arising from a scheme to fraudulently obtain business loans and unemployment pandemic relief funds made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

A North Carolina man was sentenced today to 20 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining over $1.7 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man pleaded guilty yesterday to participating in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration and a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lender while he was on pretrial release, by filing fraudulent loan applications seeking over $100,000 in loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.

BOSTON – A Texas woman was sentenced today for her involvement in a scheme to fraudulently claim COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

Seattle – A former Seattle doctor was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Seattle to 4 years in prison for fraudulently seeking over $3.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) COVID-19 relief funds.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Providence man has been ordered detained in federal custody on charges that he filed fraudulent applications for pandemic unemployment assistance payments in at least eight states and that he threatened to assault a corrections officer, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha and Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha.

An Orange County man who fled after authorities searched his residence on Wednesday is in federal custody today after he was arrested at the U.S.-Mexico border and charged with fraudulently obtaining more than $5 million in COVID-relief loans for three sham companies.

Miami-Dade resident Elisa Rivera, 50, pled guilty yesterday before Senior U.S. District Judge Donald L. Graham to a felony Information charging her with conspiracy to commit wire fraud in connection with a scheme to file fraudulent applications to the U.S. Small Business Administration to COVID-19 relief advance grants and low-interest COVID-19 relief loans.

A federal jury convicted a Massachusetts man for submitting fraudulent loan applications seeking more than $13 million in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act.

BOSTON – A Hull man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with submitting fraudulent documentation in order to receive CARES Act small business loans.

Gulfport, Miss. – A Kiln, Mississippi man pled guilty to wire fraud related to the COVID pandemic.