Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Boston resident has been sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison for a series of fraud schemes involving stolen checks, pandemic relief programs, and unemployment assistance. Tyrone Brimage, 28, received his sentence on January 23, 2026 from Senior District Court Judge Patti B. Saris. In addition to the prison term, Brimage will serve three years of supervised release and must pay $67,022 in restitution.
Brimage pleaded guilty in January 2025 to two counts of bank fraud and three counts of wire fraud. The charges stemmed from multiple incidents over several years.
In July 2020, while incarcerated at Norfolk County Jail for an unrelated case, Brimage submitted two fraudulent claims for unemployment benefits. He claimed that his employment was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance paid him $43,155 before discovering he had filed multiple claims using different social security numbers.
Later that year in October 2020, Brimage tried to deposit a payroll check for $16,427 into his personal account. The City of Boston confirmed the check was fake and stated that Brimage had never worked as a city employee.
In May 2021, he submitted a false application for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the pretense of owning a barber shop that did not exist. By June 2021, he secured a $20,832 loan intended for business expenses such as payroll costs and rent.
Brimage’s fraudulent activities continued into July 2023 when he deposited a $3,032 check stolen from the mail into an account he controlled. According to authorities, he withdrew cash from this deposit just one day later after it cleared.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the sentencing along with officials from several federal agencies including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and Department of Justice Office of Inspector General. “Valuable assistance was provided by the Boston and Wellesley Police Departments,” according to the statement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lucy Sun and Philip C. Cheng prosecuted the case.
The investigation was part of efforts led by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF), which coordinates among federal agencies to address crimes such as fraud and human trafficking through interagency collaboration.
