Reports

BOSTON – A Springfield woman pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with her involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

Today, a federal district judge in Fort Lauderdale sentenced Luke Pierre Jr., 36, of Port St. Lucie, Florida to 24 months’ imprisonment for fraudulently obtaining over $400,000 from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a program funded under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act to provide small businesses with financial relief during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Pierre must pay close to $415,000 in restitution.

Today, a federal district judge in Fort Lauderdale sentenced 29-year-old Damara Holness to 20 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for lying on a coronavirus relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to help small businesses financially survive the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, Holness must pay $300,000 in restitution.

A federal grand jury in Portland, Maine, returned an indictment charging four managers of home health care agencies with participating in a conspiracy to suppress the wages and restrict the job mobility of essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

BOSTON – A former Everett man was indicted today on identity theft and fraud charges in connection with schemes to fraudulently obtain an apartment and pandemic-related relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.