Francis J. Battista, 39, of Aston, has been convicted of defrauding federal COVID-19 assistance programs of $8.4 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Between March 2020 and June 2021, Battista applied for 19 loans from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, fraudulently seeking over $10 million in funding.
Battista submitted a fake PPP loan application in his name, using fabricated documents to support it. For the other applications, he used other people’s personal details, including those of a deceased family friend. One fraudulent loan was secured after Battista had the friend’s Pennsylvania photo ID card renewed and sent to his home.
Nine of his 19 loan applications were successful, resulting in $8.4 million in PPP funds being disbursed. Battista spent the proceeds on lavish items, including waterfront property in Florida, a Range Rover, and risky stock trading, which ultimately led to significant financial losses. Additionally, some funds were used to pay for his children’s private school.
U.S. Attorney Jacqueline C. Romero stated, “Battista took advantage of a public health crisis to steal federal money intended to help businesses and workers struggling due to the pandemic.”
The government seized $6.3 million from Battista through forfeiture proceedings, and he now faces up to 316 years in prison for his actions.
