Fraud Friday – PPP Fraudster Sold His Business to Buy an Alpaca Farm
April 28, 2023
Delaney Sexton
Contributing Editor
Fraud Friday – PPP Fraudster Sold His Business to Buy an Alpaca Farm
A Massachusetts man pled guilty to four counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering for committing fraud across multiple pandemic relief programs. Dana McIntyre is the former owner of a restaurant, Rasta Pasta Pizzeria, which received more than $660,000 in PPP funding.
When applying for EIDLs, he not only created fictitious businesses, but he also used the names of his adult children on the applications he submitted. Moreover, he gave the SBA inflated information in his pursuit to qualify for a larger PPP loan. This included overstated information about his pizzeria’s employees and payroll expenses along with a falsified official tax form.
Once he received the loan proceeds, McIntyre sold his restaurant, Rasta Pasta Pizzeria, and used the funds for personal fulfillment. His spending entailed the purchase of an alpaca farm in Vermont, two vehicles, and air time for his crypto-currency focused radio show.
Another facet of his fraudulent activities, he submitted an application to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits. Although McIntyre was still earning income from the operation of his restaurant, he falsely claimed he had no source of income and was not working. He collected $17,000 in PUA benefits that he was not entitled to.
Dana McIntyre’s sentencing is scheduled for July 12, 2023.