The owner of Stash's Pizza, Stavros Papantoniadis, also known as "Steve Papantoniadis," has admitted to defrauding the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) by lying on a loan application. Papantoniadis, 49, from Westwood, pleaded guilty to one count of false statements after claiming he still owned a pizzeria he had actually sold, procuring a loan meant to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, he is scheduled for sentencing on April 2.
Papantoniadis obtained nearly half a million in SBA funds by falsely stating his ownership of a Randolph-based pizzeria and fabricating employment data. Sold in April 2021, and soon after dissolved by the Secretary of State, the pizzeria was no longer under Papantoniadis' control when he sought an Economic Injury Disaster Loan. He claimed that the establishment had 18 employees, thereby netting him an illicit payout of $499,900. U.S. District Judge Angel Kelley presided over the guilty plea, having Papantoniadis in custody since his arrest on March 16, 2023.
In addition to this case, Papantoniadis has a history of criminal activity. In June 2024, a federal jury found him guilty on charges of forced labor and attempted forced labor. Evidence revealed during the trial detailed how Papantoniadis coerced workers through violent threats and intimidation, including threats of deportation. "Papantoniadis forced or attempted to force five men and one woman to work for him through violent physical abuse, threats of abuse and repeated threats to report victims to immigration authorities to have them deported," as the U.S. Attorney's Office stated. For these offenses, Papantoniadis was sentenced in October 2024 to 102 months in prison, with an additional one year of supervised release and a $35,000 fine.
The charge of making false statements to the SBA carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and other officials from the Homeland Security Investigations and the Department of Labor's Office of Inspector General announced the guilty plea, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Timothy E. Moran and Brian A. Fogerty are handling the prosecution of the case. As part of their ongoing commitment to preventing pandemic-related fraud, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in May 2021, aiming to "enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud." Those with information about potential COVID-related fraud are encouraged to report it through the Department of Justice's dedicated channels.
