Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A former Veterans Affairs nursing assistant, Wigenie Francois, was sentenced on March 9 in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.
Francois, 44, of Brockton, received a sentence of one year of probation from U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV. In addition to probation, Francois was ordered to pay $62,499 in restitution. Francois had pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of wire fraud after being charged in October 2025.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Francois submitted a PPP loan application in April 2021 that included false claims about gross income from a sole proprietorship and attached fraudulent tax documents as supporting evidence. The application was approved and resulted in Francois receiving $20,833, which was used for personal expenses.
In March 2024, Francois submitted an application for loan forgiveness that falsely stated the entire amount had been spent on payroll costs. This misrepresentation led to the full forgiveness of the loan.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Northeast Field Office announced the sentencing. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan prosecuted the case.
