Former Veterans Affairs Nursing Assistant Sentenced for Fraudulently Obtaining PPP Loan

BOSTON - A former Veterans Affairs Nursing Assistant was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Boston for fraudulently obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan.

Wigenie Francois, 44, of Brockton, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to one year of probation. Francois was also ordered to pay $62,499 in restitution. In December 2025, Francois pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud. Francois was charged in October 2025.

In April 2021, Francois submitted an application seeking a PPP loan. In the application, Francois made false claims regarding gross income purportedly earned from a sole proprietorship. To support these false claims, Francois attached fraudulent tax documents as part of the application. The PPP loan application was approved and Francois received $20,833. Francois used that money on personal expenses. However, in March 2024, Francois submitted a loan forgiveness application that falsely claimed the entire $20,833 was spent on payroll. Based on the misrepresentation, the entire loan was forgiven.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, Northeast Field Office made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.