A Lawrence man has been sentenced in federal court for fraudulently obtaining COVID-19 relief funds and Social Security benefits, amounting to over $200,000. Randolph Dominguez, 58, received a sentence of 15 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris. He was also ordered to pay $274,119 in restitution after pleading guilty to wire fraud and theft of government money in January 2025.
Dominguez owned an interpreter business, Dominguez SP Interpreters, through which he applied for a loan under the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program during June 2020. The program aimed to support small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He obtained approximately $90,000 by falsely claiming his business had gross revenues of $600,000 when it was actually only $16,989. The funds were misused on personal expenses including an SUV purchase and other non-business-related activities.
Additionally, Dominguez sought an EIDL loan modification increase based on false revenue claims in May 2021 but was denied due to detected fraud. He also secured a $3,500 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan meant for retaining employees during the pandemic but spent it on a vacation in Cancun.
From April 2001 through April 2023, Dominguez stole about $163,642 in Social Security benefits intended for his deceased father whose death went unreported since March 2001. Benefits continued being paid out as Dominguez changed the address to his own residence and used his father's debit card for withdrawals and purchases.
In another fraudulent act, Dominguez claimed his deceased father as a dependent on his 2019 tax returns to obtain tax credits improperly. As part of his supervised release conditions, he must work with the IRS to correct these inaccuracies.
The announcement came from United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Amy Connelly from the Social Security Administration’s Office of Inspector General along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg who prosecuted the case.
