Boston man sentenced to prison for Covid fraud spent money at Saks Fifth Avenue, casino

BOSTON — A Boston man has been sentenced to prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to Covid fraud, and spent thousands in federal pandemic-relief funds at Saks Fifth Avenue and at a casino, the U.S. Attorney said Monday.

Antawn Davis, 40, was sentenced Friday by U.S. District Court Judge Julia Kobick to five months in prison and two years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Josh Levy said in a statement. Davis was also ordered to pay $49,999 in restitution and forfeiture.

In June 2024, Davis pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud and one count of making false statements.

Davis was arrested in February along with over 40 alleged Heath Street Gang members/associates, who were charged with racketeering conspiracy; drug trafficking; firearms charges; and financial frauds, including COVID-related fraud.

In April and May 2021, Davis submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, loan applications on behalf of his purported business, Levy said. The applications contained multiple false statements, including the purported business’ total gross income in 2020 and the purpose of the loan.

Davis also submitted false tax records in support of his loan applications, Levy said. Based on the fraudulent applications, Davis received approximately $49,999 in PPP loans, which he then spent on non-business-related expenses, including transactions at a casino and at Saks Fifth Avenue.

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 Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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