BOSTON — A former Everett man was charged today with identity theft and fraud in connection with schemes to fraudulently obtain an apartment and pandemic-related relief funds from the Paycheck Protection Program ( PPP) and the Economic Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Tedje Ménard, 27, was indicted on two counts of electronic fraud, one count of false representation of a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. Menard was initially charged and arrested in November 2021.
According to the charging documents, on or about November 2020, Menard applied to rent an apartment in East Boston using another person’s name and identity. As part of the application and screening process, Menard falsely claimed to be the victim by providing the company overseeing the property with, among other things, the victim’s name, social security number, date of birth, and a copy of a purported North Carolina driver’s license. containing information about the victim but featuring a photograph of Ménard. Additionally, in June 2021, Menard allegedly submitted an EIDL claim for $40,000 using the victim’s name and personally identifiable information.
It is also alleged that in April 2021, Menard used his own name to apply for a PPP loan in the amount of approximately $20,833. In the loan application, it is alleged that Menard misrepresented his company’s total gross income in 2019 and his criminal history.
The wire fraud charge carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of probation and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of misrepresenting a Social Security number carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of probation and a fine of up to $250,000. The aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory sentence of two years in prison to be served consecutively to any other sentence imposed, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on US sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors.
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. Valuable assistance was provided by the Department of Labor and the United States Secret Service, Boston Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney J. Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.
On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to mobilize Department of Justice resources in partnership with government agencies to scale up enforcement and prevention efforts. pandemic-related fraud. The task force strengthens efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies administering relief programs to prevent fraud, among other methods, by increasing and integrating coordination mechanisms existing ones, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their agendas, and sharing and leveraging information and knowledge gained from previous enforcement efforts. For more information about the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.
The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt by a court.
