BOSTON – A Lynn man pleaded guilty today to submitting false federal loan applications and using a stolen identity to rent an apartment, for which he made no rent payments.
Steeve Jean, 36, pleaded guilty to wire fraud, aggravated identity theft and unauthorized use of a Social Security number. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Nov. 29, 2023. Jean was arrested and charged in April 2023.
From September 2021 through June 2022, Jean rented an apartment in Lynn under an assumed name. Jean paid no rent for the apartment and left when the apartment complex began steps to evict him. In April 2021, Jean submitted two fraudulent federal Paycheck Protection Program loan applications 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.
The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of aggravated identity theft provides for a mandatory sentence of two years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. The charge of unauthorized use of a Social Security number provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy and Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin A. Tolkoff of the Criminal Division is prosecuting the case.
