Francis J. Battista, a 39-year-old resident of Aston, Pennsylvania, has been convicted on multiple charges for defrauding federal COVID-19 relief programs of $8.4 million. The verdict was announced by United States Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero and was delivered by United States District Court Judge Paul S. Diamond, who ordered Battista to be taken into custody.
Battista faced an indictment in June 2022 and was found guilty on 12 counts of wire fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, and seven counts of money laundering. Between March 2020 and June 2021, he applied for loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program using fraudulent means to secure over $10 million.
Evidence presented at trial revealed that Battista submitted one fraudulent PPP loan application under his own name with fabricated documents. He used others' identities for additional applications and supporting documents. In one case, he renewed the ID card of a deceased friend to apply for a loan.
Nine out of his 19 applications were successful, resulting in $8.4 million in funds being disbursed to him. These funds were used for personal expenses such as purchasing waterfront property in Florida, buying a Range Rover, engaging in stock trading that led to losses, and paying private school fees for his children.
The government has managed to recover $6.3 million through forfeiture proceedings. Battista awaits sentencing with a potential maximum sentence of 316 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Romero commented on the case stating: “Frank Battista tried to cash in on a public health crisis... As his case shows, my office and our partners are committing to prosecuting these shameless COVID crooks and holding them fully accountable.”
Yury Kruty from IRS-Criminal Investigation remarked: "Mr. Battista took advantage of our nation's generosity... IRS-CI will continue to aggressively investigate those who scheme to exploit federal relief programs."
Glenn M. Dennis from the U.S. Secret Service added: "Criminals exploiting the Paycheck Protection Program... steal valuable funds from the American taxpayer... The Secret Service is committed to continuing our work with federal, state, and local law enforcement."
The investigation involved several agencies including the U.S Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Nancy E. Potts and Eric D. Gill.
