Stoughton Drug Kingpin Gets Over 11 Years for Cocaine Smuggling and Relief Fraud

BOSTON – The grimy streets of Stoughton witnessed a major downfall yesterday as Patrick Joseph, the 42-year-old drug kingpin, was sentenced to over 11 years in federal prison for his role in a cocaine smuggling ring and a fraudulent scheme involving COVID-19 pandemic relief funds.

Joseph, who played a pivotal part in a drug trafficking organization (DTO), was caught shipping kilograms of cocaine from Puerto Rico to Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. His sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV, includes 138 months behind bars followed by five years of supervised release.

The sentencing judge noted that Joseph had been facilitating the transport of 10-20 kilograms of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico before sending it to Massachusetts through the U.S. Mail. The drugs were cleverly concealed in air fryers and locking cash boxes. This investigation resulted in the seizure of dozens of kilograms of cocaine and several drug stash locations.

Joseph’s criminal activities did not stop there. He was also involved in a bank and wire fraud scheme related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act). Between April 2020 and April 2021, he obtained over $220,000 through fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications. This included claims of non-existent independent contractor income supported by falsified tax documents. Kickback payments were also received from individuals for whose benefit fraudulent PPP loans were applied.

Joseph’s co-conspirator, Yves Montima, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud conspiracy and was sentenced in September 2023. The investigation into this fraud scheme was a joint effort by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the U.S. Secret Service, Massachusetts State Police, Boston Police, and various federal agencies, including the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Homeland Security Investigations.

This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation, which aims to dismantle high-level criminal organizations. The COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force was established by the Attorney General to target fraudulent activities related to the pandemic relief programs. Information about the OCDETF program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.