Reports

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.