BOSTON — An Easton man was sentenced on Feb. 13, 2026, in federal court in Boston to three years in prison for fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funds and using the money to purchase a home in a relative’s name.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Bill Dessaps, 49, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to three years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $836,800 in restitution.
In September 2025, Dessaps was convicted of two counts of wire fraud conspiracy, one count of money laundering and one count of bank fraud. Five other individuals were charged in January 2024 for their alleged involvement in the scheme.
Federal prosecutors say Dessaps, who operated a used car dealership in Abington, conspired with individuals in Massachusetts and Florida to submit a fraudulent PPP loan application on behalf of the dealership. The application falsely claimed the business had 40 employees and average monthly payroll expenses of $334,720. As a result, the lender disbursed $836,800 in PPP funds to Dessaps.
The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was a federal initiative administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration during the COVID-19 pandemic that provided forgivable loans to help small businesses, nonprofits and self-employed individuals cover payroll costs and operating expenses such as rent and utilities; the program ended in May 2021.
After receiving the funds, Dessaps made kickback payments to the individuals who assisted with the application.
Prosecutors say Dessaps then used the PPP proceeds to purchase a $750,000 home in the name of a close relative because his own credit score would not have qualified him for obtaining a mortgage on favorable terms, that, and the PPP program prohibits the use of funds for such a purchase.
According to court documents, Dessaps, his close relative, and a real estate agent submitted false mortgage application documents, including forms and forged records, that inflated the relative’s income and assets. For part of the home purchase, Dessaps transferred PPP funds into a joint bank account that he and his close relative-conspirator controlled. After a lender denied the relative’s application for a secondary loan to cover the remaining balance, prosecutors say Dessaps and his real estate agent arranged a fraudulent $127,500 “gift” from the real estate agent’s girlfriend to Dessaps’ close relative, funds that Dessaps then wired back to the girlfriend. Through these and other alleged misrepresentations, Dessaps secured a $510,000 mortgage for the property and subsequently resided there, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts reported.
Dessaps later attempted to obtain a “Second Draw” PPP loan through another fraudulent application in March 2021.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys David Holcomb and Meghan Cleary of the Criminal Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts prosecuted the case.
