A Rhode Island man, Jonathan Alexander Mateo, 38, is scheduled to appear in court on September 20th for his alleged brazen scheme involving the defrauding of entrepreneurial nonprofit MassChallenge. According to a MassLive article, Mateo is set to face charges for purchasing 142 Apple laptops for the organization, then allegedly stealing most of them while working at the nonprofit between October 2020 and September 2022.
Though Mateo left MassChallenge before being caught, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office states that an audit conducted by the nonprofit in March only accounted for 24 of the laptops, with the cost of the missing laptops estimated at over $100,000. Despite fruitless efforts, MassChallenge has been unable to contact Mateo. Opting for a scheme against a nonprofit that actively aids entrepreneurs across Massachusetts has left Mateo in the public eye facing the consequences, as Turn to 10 News reports.
It appears that this is not Mateo's first time in such a sticky situation. In 2019, he was involved in a similar scheme when working for Providence-based Upserve, Inc. Per the District Attorney's office, Mateo used the company's credit card to buy several Apple computers, at least one of which he sold on eBay. He ultimately pleaded guilty to embezzlement, fraudulent use of credit cards, and larceny over $1,500 for this incident.
Investigators are currently examining if the funds acquired through defrauding MassChallenge were used by Mateo to pay restitution for his past transgressions in Rhode Island, as mentioned in the MassLive article.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden commented on Mateo's audacious actions, stating that "this individual apparently had the impression that the absence of more than 100 Apple laptops would somehow go unnoticed." Hayden went on to condemn Mateo's actions, stressing that those who attempt such schemes eventually find out just how mistaken they are, especially when they target a nonprofit dedicated to assisting entrepreneurs.
