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A federal jury found Beniamin Lucescu, age 57, a Portland resident, guilty today of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and money laundering.

BOSTON – The Massachusetts State Representative for the 16th Essex District, representing Lawrence and Methuen, was arrested today and charged with fraudulently obtaining over $700,000 in COVID unemployment insurance benefits and small-business loans, and using the proceeds to buy real estate and loan money to clients of his mortgage business, before he was elected to public office.

BOSTON – The Mayor of Lawrence, Mass., has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Boston. The 11-count indictment, unsealed today, charges the Mayor with allegedly obtaining over $1.5 million in COVID small-business loans. It is alleged that the money was used to fund his campaign account, pay personal taxes and pay more than $880,000 in high-interest, hard-money mortgages on properties he owned in Lawrence.

Jurors deliberated for about an hour before finding Kenneth C. Sparks III guilty of 20 counts.

ANCHORAGE, Alaska - An Anchorage businesswoman was sentenced today to 3.8 years in prison for lying on federal loan applications and stealing identities to fraudulently obtain nearly $1 million in COVID-19 relief funds.

Jacksonville, Florida – James Elliott Davis, II (37, Ponte Vedra Beach) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jordan Pratt to seven years and seven months in federal prison in connection to his guilty plea to bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and theft of mail. As part of his sentence, the court ordered the forfeiture of the proceeds of the crimes, which cumulatively totaled $6,726,800. Further, the court ordered Davis to pay restitution to the victims of his offenses. U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement.

A Bergen County man, who orchestrated a scheme to fraudulently obtain approximately $670,292 in COVID-19 relief funding, was sentenced on August 12, 2026, to 24 months imprisonment.