State Rep. Francisco Paulino arrested, appears in court on wire fraud, money laundering charges
Prosecutors say Francisco Paulino used identities and intermediaries to route more than $700,000 in relief money into personal, business and campaign accounts.
- On Wednesday, federal agents arrested Massachusetts State Rep. Francisco Paulino of the 16th Essex District on an 11-count indictment alleging he fraudulently obtained pandemic relief funds and funneled them into personal accounts.
- Prosecutors allege Paulino used his business, Madison Tax, from April 2020 through December 2021 to execute the scheme, routing COVID-19 relief funds through others' identities into his personal and business bank accounts.
- The indictment details a $44,160 fraudulent unemployment claim filed in a relative's name, an unauthorized $200,000 EIDL modification, and $18,000 moved toward a Lawrence real estate purchase.
- U.S. Attorney Leah Foley scheduled an 11 a.m. press conference at the Moakley Courthouse in Boston on Wednesday, with the FBI and IRS, to announce charges against Paulino and Lawrence Mayor Brian DePena.
- This arrest makes Paulino the second Merrimack Valley public official facing pandemic fraud charges this month, following authorities' recent unsealing of a separate indictment against DePena on similar allegations.
31 Articles
31 Articles
Democratic Officials Charged in Alleged COVID Relief Funds Fraud Scheme
Internewscast Journal Internewscast A Massachusetts Democratic official was arrested Wednesday on allegations of COVID-19 relief… This Post: Democratic Officials Charged in Alleged COVID Relief Funds Fraud Scheme first appeared on Internewscast Journal
Massachusetts Democrat Rep Arrested for Pandemic Fraud, Second Local Official Charged in Weeks
Federal authorities arrested Massachusetts state Representative Francisco Paulino on Wednesday morning, charging the Democrat with pandemic relief fraud and money laundering totalling hundreds of thousands of dollars between April 2020 and December 2021, ahead of his arraignment in Boston. The lawmaker, who represents the 16th Essex District encompassing Lawrence and Methuen, is now the second local official in the region to face federal fraud c…
Two Massachusetts Democrats Charged in Separate COVID Relief Fraud Schemes - Real News Now
Two Democratic elected officials in Massachusetts are facing federal charges over separate alleged schemes involving COVID-era relief money, with prosecutors accusing them of diverting taxpayer funds intended to help struggling Americans and businesses during the pandemic. Massachusetts State Rep. Francisco Paulino was arrested Wednesday morning after a federal grand jury returned an 11-count indictment involving pandemic unemployment insurance …
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