A Brockton resident, Jesus Abreu, was charged on April 10 in federal court in Boston with three counts of wire fraud related to the alleged fraudulent receipt of multiple COVID-19 relief benefits.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to address misuse of pandemic relief funds and protect taxpayer dollars from fraudulent claims.
According to the indictment, Abreu, age 38 and a former Food Service Worker at the Department of Veterans Affairs between November 2021 and March 2022, allegedly submitted false information in applications for both Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. Prosecutors allege that in July 2020, Abreu claimed false gross revenues on an EIDL application and received $32,400. In April 2021, he is accused of submitting two PPP loan applications using fraudulent tax documents to support inflated income claims from a sole proprietorship. The applications were approved and resulted in $41,666 being disbursed to Abreu.
Authorities further allege that Abreu used these funds for personal expenses but later submitted loan forgiveness applications falsely stating all PPP funds had been spent on payroll. As a result of these misrepresentations, the loans were forgiven.
If convicted on all charges, Abreu faces up to 20 years in prison per count, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000 or twice the gain or loss involved. Sentencing will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the charges along with officials from the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General’s Northeast Field Office and the U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration’s Boston Regional Office. The Norwood Police Department provided assistance during the investigation.
The Department of Justice recently created the National Fraud Enforcement Division as part of broader efforts—aligned with President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud—to investigate those who steal or misuse federal benefit program funds. “The details contained in the charging documents are allegations,” authorities said. “The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”