BOSTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - Massachusetts), published as received.
BOSTON – A Lynnfield man has been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain multiple Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act loans, including funds from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) and unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled.
Daniel Olivar, 43, was indicted on four counts of wire fraud. Olivar was arrested this morning and will appear in federal court in Boston this afternoon.
According to the charging documents, Olivar was the owner of Sonny’s Boxing and Fitness, Inc. in Middleton. It is alleged that, since at least 2019, Olivar engaged in a scheme to defraud and to obtain CARES Act business loans, by filing false and fraudulent applications with the United States Small Business administration (SBA). This included an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) from the SBA and a PPP loan. In addition, Olivar allegedly filed a claim for unemployment benefits with the State of Massachusetts, falsely claiming that he was laid off from Gold’s Gym. As a result, it is alleged that from January 2020 until at least May 2021, Olivar received unemployment benefits from the state of Massachusetts.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins and Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura J. Kaplan of Rollins’ Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s 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-disaster-complaint-form.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
