Feds charge Boston man collected pandemic unemployment even as he was working fulltime; also charged with trying to use the bank account of his wife's non-profit to get a mortgage

A erstwhile Boston nonmigratory present surviving successful Taunton was arrested contiguous connected charges helium collected much than $67,000 successful fake pandemic unemployment claims adjacent arsenic helium was moving astatine a full-time occupation wherever helium got a promotion and astatine slightest 2 raises.

The feds besides complaint that Clark Grant lied connected the owe exertion for his caller Taunton house, falsely claiming that the slope relationship of a non-profit radical founded by his woman was really his.

Grant, 38, hubby of section non-violence advocator Monica Cannon-Grant, was charged with ligament fraud and making mendacious statements connected a indebtedness and recognition application, according to documents successful US District Court successful Boston, unsealed pursuing his arrest.

According to an affidavit by a Department of Labor inspector connected the case:

In total, GRANT wrongfully obtained astir $67,950 successful benefits designed for radical who were incapable to enactment owed to the COVID-19 pandemic ... each portion collecting his afloat wage arsenic an worker of the Company.

The affidavit says Grant made his archetypal pandemic unemployment exertion connected May 19, 2020.

As submitted, the PUA assertion asserted that GRANT’s employment was archetypal affected by the COVID-19 pandemic connected March 20, 2020 and certified the following: that GRANT was diagnosed with COVID-19 oregon was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19; that GRANT was providing attraction for a household oregon household subordinate who was diagnosed with COVID-19; and that owed to being self-employed, an autarkic contractor, oregon a gig idiosyncratic COVID-19 severely constricted his quality to execute his mean work.

On his archetypal application, GRANT certified that helium had been capable and disposable to enactment betwixt March 29, 2020 and May 16, 2020 but that helium had not earned much than $89 successful immoderate enactment week during that period.

In fact, Grant was not self-employed, the affidavit says: He was moving afloat clip for the aforesaid unnamed institution helium had worked for since 2018:

Records obtained from the Company bespeak that GRANT worked successful "Position 1" until successful oregon astir July 2021, astatine which clip helium was promoted to "Position 2." At respective points during his employment astatine the Company, GRANT received wage raises, including successful oregon astir August 2020 and successful oregon astir July 2021. Employment records bespeak that, passim the COVID-19 pandemic, GRANT was employed by and moving full-time for the Company.

He earned astir $61,000 from the institution successful 2020, according to this taxation records, the affidavit states.

The affidavit continues that aft the authorities required pandemic-unemployment recipients to verify their presumption arsenic unemployed successful aboriginal 2021, Grant uploaded a two-page "independent contractor agreement" with a expected contractor who was consenting to prosecute him for "facilities management" work. In fact, the alleged company's Dorchester code doesn't exist, the affidavit states. In effect to a request by the authorities for much details connected this expected agreement, the affidavit states, Grant submitted a four-page papers past period signed by idiosyncratic the FBI has been incapable to find:

A query of some nationalist and instrumentality enforcement databases failed to find anyone successful the United States with the Representative’s name.

The affidavit continues that portion each this was going on, Grant was applying for a owe connected a location successful Taunton. He had an archetypal problem, though: His ain slope relationship lone had $1,000 successful it, not capable to person a Chicago owe institution helium was a bully capable hazard for the astir $410,000 location successful Taunton.

To augment his fiscal assets, GRANT falsely listed arsenic a idiosyncratic plus a slope relationship connected the owe exertion that was not a idiosyncratic asset. Specifically, GRANT listed a Bank of America relationship ending with the numbers -0512 that, according to his application, contained $461,548.73. This account, however, did not beryllium and has ne'er belonged to GRANT.

According to records obtained from Bank of America, the relationship ending with the numbers -0512 was registered successful the sanction of a non-profit enactment whose stated intent was to trim unit and supply assemblage assistance to disenfranchised communities (the "Non- Profit") and that had been founded by an subordinate of GRANT. GRANT served arsenic an serviceman of the Non-Profit with the rubric of Director from 2017 to the present, according to Massachusetts Secretary of State records. Based connected my grooming and experience, I judge that, arsenic a Director of the Non-Profit, GRANT was alert that helium could not assertion the Non-Profit's funds arsenic his idiosyncratic assets.

The affidavit adds:

The Mortgage Co., arsenic portion of its diligence process, obtained slope records for GRANT and the Non-Profit, arsenic good arsenic Massachusetts Secretary of State filings demonstrating that the Non-Profit was formed arsenic a charity-based organization. After the Mortgage Co. obtained this information, records amusement that GRANT revised his indebtedness exertion successful July 2021 to omit the Non-Profit relationship from the application.

The owe institution past noticed helium was claiming some full-time employment and pandemic unemployment payments; the affidavit says Grant told the institution that helium had gotten the unemployment owed to "cleaning contracts" canceled owed to Covid-19 and that erstwhile the institution persisted, helium forwarded 1 of the aforesaid bogus "independent contractor" documents helium filed with the state. Satisfied, the lender gave him and his woman a owe for the Taunton location successful July.

Both charges transportation a maximum punishment of 30 years successful situation and a $1-million fine, though fewer radical get the maximum penalties without lengthy records.

Innocent, etc.

Complete Department of Labor affidavit (1.1M PDF).