Vinicius Santana, Wire Fraud, Massachusetts 2024

BOSTON – In a shocking turn of events, Vinicius Santana, 34, of Boca Raton, Fla. and formerly of Revere, has been arrested and charged in connection with allegedly filing a fraudulent loan application to obtain $2.5 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan funds under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

According to the charging documents, Santana owned Complete Home Care, LLC (CHC), a painting company in Massachusetts. In April 2020, Santana submitted four different PPP loan applications on behalf of CHC. The first three applications, in which Santana allegedly listed five employees and an average monthly payroll of between $10,000 and $18,000, were denied. In the fourth application for CHC, it is alleged that Santana falsely claimed to have 154 employees and an average monthly payroll of $1 million.

On May 11, 2020, a bank issued Santana’s company a $2,500,000 loan based on the alleged false representations in the fourth application. After receiving the funds, it is alleged that Santana misused the loan proceeds to buy cars and invest in cryptocurrency.

The CARES Act is a federal law enacted on March 29, 2020, designed to provide emergency financial assistance to the millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act was the authorization of forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain approved expenses, through the PPP.

Santana, who is charged with one count of wire fraud, faces a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the scheme, whichever is greater.

Santana was arrested Monday evening at Miami International Airport and appeared in federal court in Miami yesterday afternoon. He will appear in Massachusetts at a later date.

The charge of wire fraud is a serious offense that carries significant penalties. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to holding individuals accountable for their actions and ensuring that those who commit financial crimes are brought to justice.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on our economy and communities. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is dedicated to protecting the public and preventing financial crimes, particularly those related to pandemic relief programs.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf

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