A South Easton man who obtained an $836,000 Paycheck Protection Program loan in 2020 based on a claim his used-car dealership had 40 employees actually had only 3 or 4 workers including himself, so he was able to use the money to buy and move to a new house and buy a Rolls Royce and some French bulldogs – which left him enough to pay up to a 20% kickback to three Florida “recruiters” who got him involved in the scam, the US Attorney’s office charges.
Bill Dessaps, formerly of Bridgewater but more recently of South Eaton, was arrested yesterday on federal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He was released on $10,000 bail and faces a probable-cause hearing on Feb. 16, court records show.
Dessaps is the latest Massachusetts resident charged with defrauding two federal programs aimed at helping employers keep workers on through loans that could be converted to grants on proof that the workers were, in fact, still employed.
According to an affidavit by an FBI agent on the case, Dessaps convinced family members and friends to accept “payroll” checks from him, copies of which he then submitted as proof he was keeping people employed. In fact, the affidavit states, the people who got the checks then repaid him. Dessaps also made up payroll tax forms as part of his submission to Kabbage, a California lender that was active in the Paycheck Protection Program, and which transferred $836,000 to him on June 5, 2020 after he filed an…
