A former Massachusetts pizza parlor owner has pleaded guilty to a scheme that netted him over $660,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds that he used in part to buy an alpaca farm in Vermont, prosecutors said Friday.
Dana McIntyre, 59, was arrested in 2021 on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. He pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud and three of money laundering on Thursday, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE
 |
Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are. |
The former owner of Rasta Pasta Pizzeria in Beverly, Massachusetts, also spent the COVID relief money buying two vehicles and air time for a radio show on cryptocurrency, prosecutors said.
McIntyre, who lives in Grafton, Vermont, and formerly lived in Beverly and Essex, Massachusetts, applied for a COVID relief funding from the start of the pandemic, including the Paycheck Protection Program loan for more than $660,000, which was based on falsified information that qualified the pizza shop for more funding.
Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.
After receiving the loan, he sold the pizza shop and used the money to purchase and upgrade a farm in Vermont and buy several alpacas, authorities have said. He also bought at least two vehicles — including a 1950 Hudson — and weekly airtime for the cryptocurrency-themed radio show that he hosted.
McIntyre is due to be sentenced on July 12. He faces up to 40 years in prison and $750,000 in fines.
