BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney's Office says a Vermont man defrauded the U.S. government and literally bought the farm.
The U.S. Attorney's Office said Tuesday that Dana L. McIntyre — now of Grafton, Vermont — had been arrested for allegedly taking a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and using it to buy an alpaca farm in Vermont, at least two cars, and airtime for a cryptocurrency-themed radio show.
The PPP is a program under the CARES Act that provided small businesses with money to pay their employees when the pandemic left them without their usual revenue.
Prosecutors said McIntyre got the cash by over-reporting how many employees he had at his former pizzeria, Rasta Pasta Pizzeria. They said he reported that the pizzeria had 50 employees, when in reality the pizzeria had less than ten.
McIntyre is accused of selling his pizzeria after receiving more than $650,000 from the federal government and moving to Vermont to start the farm.
He could face up to 40 years in prison and $750,000 in fines if found guilty on the charges, which include wire fraud and money laundering.
McIntyre will make his first court appearance Tuesday afternoon.
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