The COVID pandemic affected thousands of people worldwide, causing deaths, slowing economies, and shaking people’s and governments’ general inclination to take public health for granted. Travel, tourism, and hospitality all suffered as a result of the strict lockdowns. In the United States, the government assisted businesses to stay afloat by providing financial assistance.
Dana McIntyre (59), a pizzeria owner in Boston, has now been sentenced to two years in prison for misusing relief funds to purchase a farm, some automobiles, an alpaca farm, and other items.
“This was no momentary lapse in the fog of the COVID pandemic,” Joshua S. Levy, the acting U.S. attorney for Massachusetts, said in a statement as mentioned by The New York Times (NYT).
“He stole from the American taxpayers and the many small businesses that truly needed those loans to survive.”
He informed the New York Times that he was scheduled to report to prison in January. And he claimed that he saw the money he received from the government as a loan that he would someday repay.
Misuse of COVID relief funds
The government paid McIntyre more than $660,000. He has now been ordered by the court to repay $680,000.
He operates Rasta Pasta Pizzeria in Beverly, a Boston suburb. He also has his own podcast, “The Dana Crypto Show.”
According to the New York Times, McIntyre purchased a farm in Vermont after receiving the money. He also purchased a USD 14,000 pickup truck and a USD 8500 antique car.
Also, he paid a total of $6,500 to the podcast’s broadcaster. He also invested in home improvements.
“It wasn’t this mastermind program to steal money from the government and go up and start this alpaca farm,” he said. “No, it unfolded and it took on its own life form.”
He is currently one of over 3100 Americans facing charges of misusing COVID relief funds for purposes other than epidemic-era survival. Federal prosecutors are working feverishly to recoup billions of dollars from people who falsely obtained money from the government.