Kent Pecoy, Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, Massachusetts 2020

Related Federal Cases

Gary Wayne Peters, Immigration Fraud Scheme, Key West FL, 2023 · Florida
Joel Steinger Guilty of Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire Fraud, M… · Florida
Ambulai R. Sheku, Conspiracy to Commit Mail Fraud, Theft of Governm… · Washington
Merrill Sentenced to Wire Fraud Conspiracy and Wire Fraud, MA, 2023 · Washington
Jose Santana Pleads Guilty to Cellphone Fraud, West Palm Beach FL, … · Florida

Table of Contents

Defendant Sentenced to Time Served for Conspiracy to Defraud the United States

BOSTON – In a major blow to organized crime, Kent Pecoy, 66, of San Marco, Fla., previously of Wilbraham, Mass., has been sentenced to time served and two years of supervised release for conspiring to defraud the United States and creating false documents to help one of his clients obtain a mortgage.

Pecoy, the former owner of a now-defunct luxury home building business in West Springfield, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to one day in prison and two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a $24,000 fine and $35,982 in restitution.

The charges against Pecoy stemmed from a superseding indictment in January 2020, in which he was accused of conspiring to defraud the United States by concealing cash payments for the construction of two homes in East Longmeadow and West Dennis. The indictment also accused Pecoy of making a false statement to a federally insured financial institution.

According to prosecutors, Pecoy owned and operated Kent Pecoy & Sons, Construction Inc. (KPSC), a West Springfield-based commercial and luxury home construction company, as well as Sturbridge Development, LLC (Sturbridge) and Legacy General Contractors, LLC (Legacy). KPSCI constructed two homes for Kennedy in East Longmeadow and West Dennis – for which Kennedy paid Pecoy in cash.

From 2009 through 2016, Pecoy conspired with others to conceal income from the IRS by dealing in cash. Specifically, Pecoy received $1,116,900 in cash payments from Kennedy for the purchase and construction of custom-built homes in East Longmeadow and on Cape Cod. Pecoy failed to deposit most of the cash into business bank accounts, and instead distributed the cash directly to vendors and subcontractors.

Pecoy also created and maintained separate ledgers documenting Kennedy’s cash payments, created and maintained false contracts and cover sheets, and created false entries in KPSC’s accounting system to conceal the cash payments. Additionally, in January 2010, Pecoy and Kennedy made false statements to Charles Schwab Bank on a loan to Kennedy and his wife for the construction of a residence in East Longmeadow in an attempt to conceal $160,000 cash down payment.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Steven H. Breslow and Neil L. Desroches of the Springfield Branch Office are prosecuting the case along with Trial Attorney Eric B. Powers of the Tax Division.