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Long Island resident Donald Finley, age 61 of Locust Valley, faced his 24-month sentence on Tuesday, April 16, according to the United States Attorney’s Office Eastern District of New York.
Finley, who owns Bayville Adventure Park and used to own a now-shuttered Jekyll & Hyde-themed restaurant in Manhattan, originally admitted in May 2023 that he had stolen federal aid and used it for himself.
According to the USAO’s Office, between March 2020 and March 2021 (in the midst of the COVID pandemic), Finley fraudulently applied for and received at least 29 PPP and EIDLP loans that totaled approximately $3.2 million on behalf of corporate entities he controlled.
These applications contained false information, fake financial data, and fabricated documents to trick the Small Business Administration.
Once Finley had received the money, he sent the funds through more than 30 bank accounts to prevent them from being traced.
He used a large portion of the stolen money to buy a home in Nantucket, Massachusetts in February 2021.
“Finley viewed the deadly pandemic that was gripping the nation as a way to steal millions of dollars in COVID-19 relief funds that he used to purchase a vacation home in Nantucket,” said Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York.
“Today the defendant learned the price to pay for such a shameful crime is a loss of his freedom and full restitution for the victims of his scam.”
In addition to his stint in jail, Finley paid the full $3.2 million in restitution. He will also need to pay a $15,000 fine and complete 500 hours of community service.
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