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BOSTON – Ralph Caruso of Wenham and five companies that he part-owns, have agreed to pay $1.065 million to resolve False Claims Act allegations that the companies falsely certified to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) their eligibility for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. As part of the settlement, Caruso and his companies admitted that the loan applications falsely stated that the companies did not have owners who had pleaded guilty to certain felonies, but in fact Mr. Caruso had pleaded guilty to tax and mail fraud charges.

BOSTON – An Easton man was charged yesterday in a superseding indictment for allegedly using Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds to secretly purchase a home in the name of a close relative.

BOSTON – A Lawrence woman pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to separate fraudulent schemes that targeted banks and the Small Business Administration (SBA).

BOSTON – A Stoughton man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for his role in a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that shipped dozens of parcels containing kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to various addresses throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. The defendant was also sentenced for his role in a bank and wire fraud scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

BOSTON – A Haverhill man was indicted today for allegedly filing a Massachusetts Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claim in 2020 for a man who was living in Brazil at the time, and therefore ineligible to receive PUA benefits.

BOSTON – A West Roxbury man pleaded guilty on May 15, 2024 in federal court in Boston to a fraud charge in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain pandemic-related relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

BOSTON – Bankrupt lender Kabbage, Inc. d/b/a KServicing, has agreed to resolve allegations that it knowingly submitted thousands of false claims for loan forgiveness, loan guarantees, and processing fees to the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as part of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), in violation of the False Claims Act (FCA).

BOSTON – A Haverhill man was arrested and charged today in connection with a Massachusetts Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) claim he filed in 2020 for a man who was living in Brazil and who has since been charged with migrant smuggling, among other offenses.

BOSTON – Two Nigerian men were sentenced today in federal court in Boston for their roles in an expansive money laundering and bank fraud scheme that resulted in millions in losses from pandemic fraud, romance scams and other online scams.

BOSTON – A Lawrence man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain over $450,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to launder the funds.

BOSTON – A Plymouth man was arrested today in connection with his alleged involvement in a scheme to fraudulently obtain and misuse COVID-19 relief funds from multiple assistance programs.

BOSTON – A former Massachusetts resident was sentenced today in connection with filing fraudulent applications to obtain $2.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

BOSTON – A Worcester man was sentenced today for fraudulently applying for business loans under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and then spending the money on personal expenses.

BOSTON – A Miami woman was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining over $1 million in pandemic-related loans using the stolen identities of more than 10 individuals and then using those funds for personal expenses, including chartering a private jet and renting a luxury apartment.

BOSTON – A Stoughton man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston in connection with a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19-related small business loans from several financial institutions.

BOSTON – A Lynnfield man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to fraudulently obtaining multiple Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loans, including funds from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), and unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled for his boxing gym.

BOSTON – A Norfolk, Mass. man has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to conspiring to price gouge hospitals for scarce N95 filtering facepiece respirators (N95 masks) at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

BOSTON – A former North Shore resident was sentenced today in connection with filing fraudulent applications for more than $660,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds and using those funds for personal expenses, including the purchase of an alpaca farm in Vermont.

BOSTON – A Methuen man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and laundering the funds.

BOSTON – An Acton was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for conspiring to use stolen identities to fraudulently obtain disaster loan funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to launder the funds.

BOSTON – A Rhode Island man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misuse COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

BOSTON – A Dudley man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain and misuse COVID-19-related unemployment assistance.

BOSTON – The owner of a Massachusetts-based food truck business was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for filing fraudulent loan applications in order to obtain $1.5 million in pandemic relief under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the American Rescue Plan Act.

BOSTON – A Brockton man has been sentenced in federal court in Boston for using others’ identities to fraudulently obtain over $60,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) Benefits and for using one of those identities to fraudulently obtain a Massachusetts driver’s license.

BOSTON – A Lawrence man pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to using stolen identities to fraudulently obtain over $450,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and to launder the funds.

BOSTON – The U.S. Attorney’s Office has reached a $501,161 settlement with the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS), a nonprofit headquartered in Washington, D.C., to resolve allegations that IPS falsely certified that it was eligible to receive a Second Draw Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loan from the Small Business Administration (SBA). As part of the settlement, IPS admits that it certified to the SBA that it was not a think tank primarily engaged in political or lobbying activities, when it had publicly stated otherwise.

BOSTON – A West Boylston man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Worcester to possessing cocaine intended for distribution and wire fraud with respect to COVID-19 relief programs.

OSA has conducted a performance audit of MassHealth’s payments for telehealth behavioral health services for the period January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021. During this period, MassHealth paid approximately $96,464,816, for 1,306,414 claims, to its providers for telehealth behavioral health services to MassHealth members. The purpose of this audit was to determine whether MassHealth monitored telehealth practices for behavioral health services to ensure compliance with its All-Provider Bulletins.

BOSTON – A Michigan man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme to obtain COVID-19-related unemployment assistance and small business loans in 12 different states.

BOSTON – A Stoughton man was sentenced on Nov. 4, 2022 in federal court in Boston in connection with filing a fraudulent loan application in order to obtain over $400,000 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds.

BOSTON – A Boston man pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with using others’ identities to fraudulently obtain over $65,000 in Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits.

BOSTON – A Marblehead man and woman were arrested today in connection with their alleged submission of fraudulent applications for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funds for several purported non-profit religious organizations and related businesses they controlled.

BOSTON – A Boston man was sentenced on Sept. 15, 2022 for fraud, identity theft, firearm and drug offenses.

The audit examined whether Berkshire Community College accurately recorded and reported the institutional portion of Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds (HEERF) and the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief Fund. The audit also reviewed if had required approval for all institutional-portion disbursements from HEERF I and HEERF II grants. The audit examined the period of March 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021.

BOSTON – A former Everett man pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Boston to identity theft and fraud charges in connection with multiple schemes to fraudulently obtain an apartment as well as 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.

BOSTON – A former Massachusetts resident has been charged and has agreed to plead guilty to filing fraudulent applications to obtain $2.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

BOSTON – A Hyde Park man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with his alleged use of a stolen identity to fraudulently obtain pandemic relief funds and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, previously known as Food Stamps.