East Providence Man Sentenced For COVID-19 Business Loan Fraud

EAST PROVIDENCE, RI — An East Providence man was sentenced Wednesday to four years in federal prison after being convicted of submitting eight fraudulent COVID-19 relief loans for businesses.

Prosecutors said the fraudulent loans sought more than $375,000 in relief loans guaranteed by the federal Small Business Administration.

Kevin Mancieri, 49, pleaded guilty on Aug. 15, 2022, to conspiracy to commit bank fraud, access device fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Along with his prison sentence, Mamcieri must serve three years of federal supervised release, pay a $10,00 fine and $152,246 in restitution.

Mancieri submitted fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications to secure the loans, complete with fabricated bank records and tax forms, prosecutors said. In addition to submitting two fraudulent applications in his own name, Mancieri also prepared fraudulent applications in the names of four other people he knew.

Mancieri also used a stolen identity and submitted a fraudulent PPP application in that person’s name, seeking an additional $60,710 in loans, prosecutors said.

According to court documents, Mancieri submitted fraudulent PPP applications seeking a total of $375,928, resulting in a loss of $152,246. Of that amount, Mancieri personally obtained $92,438.