Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
An Easton man, Bill Dessaps, has been sentenced to three years in prison for wire fraud related to the misuse of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds. The sentencing took place on February 13, 2026, in federal court in Boston before U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley. In addition to his prison term, Dessaps will serve three years of supervised release and must pay $836,800 in restitution.
Dessaps was convicted in September 2025 on two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering, and one count of bank fraud. Authorities say that he operated a used car dealership based in Abington and conspired with individuals from Massachusetts and Florida to submit a fraudulent PPP loan application for his business. The application falsely claimed the dealership had 40 employees and monthly payroll expenses of $334,720. As a result, Dessaps received an $836,800 PPP loan.
According to prosecutors, after receiving the funds, Dessaps made kickback payments to others involved in preparing the false application. He then used part of the PPP money to buy a $750,000 home using a straw buyer—his close relative—because his own credit score would have prevented him from securing favorable mortgage terms. This purchase violated PPP rules prohibiting such use of funds.
Dessaps and his associates submitted false documents inflating the relative’s income and assets when applying for a mortgage. Some proceeds from the PPP loan were transferred into a joint account controlled by Dessaps and his relative. When their attempt at securing additional funding failed, they arranged for a sham gift from the real estate agent’s girlfriend as part of further misrepresentations that enabled them to obtain a $510,000 mortgage on the property.
Dessaps also tried to secure another PPP loan through fraudulent means in March 2021.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: "United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office made the announcement." Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Holcomb and Meghan C. Cleary prosecuted the case with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorney Annapurna Balakrishna on forfeiture matters.
The Department of Justice established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force on May 17, 2021 to coordinate efforts against pandemic-related fraud across various government agencies (https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus). The task force focuses on investigating and prosecuting significant domestic and international actors involved in relief program fraud.
Individuals who have information about attempted COVID-19 relief fraud are encouraged to report it by calling the National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or submitting information online via https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
