BOSTON — A man from Lynn will spend more than three years in prison after being sentenced on federal wire-fraud and identity-theft charges.
Steeve Jean, 36, was sentenced Wednesday to 44 months in prison and three years of supervised release by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper. Jean also was ordered to pay $41,666 in restitution to the Small Business Association and $8,343 to a property-management company he defrauded.
According to a press release from acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy, Jean rented an apartment in Lynn using the name, Social Security number, and other personal identifying information of another individual from September 2021 through June 2022.
Jean failed to pay rent for the apartment, resulting in a default court judgment of more than $8,000 against the victim whose identity was stolen.
A subsequent investigation revealed that in April 2021, Jean submitted two fraudulent federal Paycheck Protection Program loan applications, each for $20,833, claiming business losses for a business that did not exist. Jean was serving a state prison sentence during the period he claimed to be running a business.
Jean pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and unauthorized use of a Social Security number on Sept. 26.
