A Lawrence man, Randolph Dominguez, has been charged in federal court in Boston with wire fraud and theft of government money. The charges relate to alleged misuse of COVID-19 relief funds and Social Security benefits.
Dominguez, 57, is accused of submitting a fraudulent loan application in June 2020 for his business, Dominguez SP Interpreters. The application was part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program administered by the Small Business Administration (SBA), intended to support small businesses affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is alleged that Dominguez falsely claimed his business had gross revenues of $600,000 in the previous year when it only made $16,989. He reportedly received $74,900 from the SBA in July 2020 and spent these funds on non-business expenses.
In a separate allegation, Dominguez is accused of stealing approximately $163,642 in Social Security benefits from April 2001 through June 2022.
The charge of wire fraud carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine that could reach $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss. The theft charge could result in up to 10 years in prison under similar conditions regarding supervised release and fines. Sentences will be determined by a federal district court judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.
The announcement was made by United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy along with Amy Connelly, Special Agent in Charge at the Social Security Administration's Office of Inspector General for the Boston Field Division. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James J. Nagelberg from the Major Crimes Unit is handling the prosecution.
It is important to note that these details are allegations contained within charging documents; Dominguez remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.