Steeve Jean, a 36-year-old resident of the Massachusetts city, confronted the consequences on Tuesday as U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper imposed a 44-month prison sentence, along with an additional three years under supervised release.
According to a Justice Department release, Jean's playbook included using another person's details to live rent-free in an apartment from September 2021 to June 2022. Not content with a simple scam, the identity crook failed to fork over a single penny in rent, leaving the true owner of the identity scrambling with a court judgment bill topping $8,000.
Jean submitted two counterfeit federal Paycheck Protection Program loan applications in April 2021. Each amounted to $20,833, with all of them asserting losses for a fictitious business that never became operational. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy and FBI Special Agent Jodi Cohen announced the sentencing for the caper unwound by Jean, who had already pleaded guilty on Sept. 6, 2023, to wire fraud and identity theft-related charges.
Judge Casper ordered Jean to cough up restitution to the tune of $41,666 to the Small Business Association and a further $8,343 to the property management company that was stiffed on the rent. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Benjamin A. Tolkoff and Brian Sullivan are leading the prosecution's charge.
