Former Greater Boston-Area Resident Nabbed For $2.5M COVID Relief Fraud, Feds Say

A former resident from the Greater Boston area and owner of a local painting company is facing 20 years in prison for using a fake loan application to snag $2.5 million in COVID relief funds, the US Attorney's Office for Massachusetts said.

Gardiner conducted an "ongoing sexually graphic conversation on a web-based social media application" with whom he didn't know was an undercover agent, U.S. Attorney Philip R. Sellinger said.
Photo Credit: *Thomas Lefebvre on Unsplash*

David Cifarelli

06/14/2022 6:30 p.m.

Vinicius Santana, age 34, formerly of Revere, who now lives in Boca Raton, Florida, allegedly submitted four Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications for his company, Complete Home Care (CHC), in April 2020, the office reports.

PPP funds were established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Safety (CARES) Act in Massachusetts to grant financial assistance to businesses suffering from the pandemic.

One of Santana's applications was approved in which he allegedly falsely claimed to have 154 employees and an average monthly payroll of $1 million, the office reports.

Santana was granted a $2.5 million loan in May and then allegedly used the money to buy cars and invest in cryptocurrency, according to the office.

He has since been charged with one count of wire fraud and faces sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, the office reports.

Santana was arrested in Miami on Monday, June 6 and appeared in federal court there yesterday afternoon. He is expected to appear in Massachusetts court later on, the office reports.

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