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Rensselaer County resident Hector Sanchez, age 30, of Rensselaer, was sentenced to 70 months - or just under six years - behind bars Monday, July 25, in federal court in Albany.
It followed his prior guilty plea in March 2022 to charges of defrauding pandemic-related unemployment insurance and small business loan programs.
Federal prosecutors said Sanchez raked in more than $131,000 by submitting false unemployment insurance claims to the New York State Department of Labor using the personal information of other people.
He also admitted to obtaining a $12,500 loan via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for a non-existent car wash business.
The federal program was established to provide economic relief to small businesses and other entities that have been adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
As part of his guilty plea, Sanchez agreed to pay restitution to the state of New York and the PPP lender.
US District Judge Mae D’Agostino ordered that his federal prison sentence be served consecutively to his state prison term on separate firearms and drug offenses.
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