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Boston Man Charged with Pandemic Fraud, Identity Theft, Firearm and Drug Offenses

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Boston Man Charged with Pandemic Fraud, Identity Theft, Firearm and Drug Offenses


BOSTON – A Boston man has been charged and has agreed to plead responsible to fraud, identification theft, firearm and drug offenses.

Jammy Alphonse, 28, was charged and has agreed to plead responsible to wire fraud conspiracy, false illustration of a Social Safety quantity, aggravated identification theft, possession of a firearm and ammunition and possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or extra of fentanyl. A plea listening to has not but been scheduled by the Court docket. Alphonse was beforehand arrested and charged in August 2021 with being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition by a convicted felon following a taking pictures in Cambridge, Mass., in July 2021. Alphonse has remained in custody since that date.

In line with the charging paperwork, starting in or round Could 2020, Alphonse conspired to acquire Pandemic Unemployment Help (PUA) advantages, which had been made accessible beneath the Coronavirus Support, Reduction, and Financial Safety Act. Particularly, Alphonse conspired to submit false PUA claims in different individuals’ names and utilizing different individuals’ personally identifiable data. It’s alleged that Alphonse and his co-conspirators created electronic mail accounts for the aim of submitting fraudulent PUA claims from Alphonse’s Everett residence and different places. The fraudulently obtained funds had been then directed into accounts held in Alphonse’s identify or within the identify of a co-conspirator.

Moreover, in February 2021, Alphonse allegedly submitted an utility to hire a property in East Boston utilizing the identify, Social Safety quantity and date of delivery of one other individual. Consequently, Alphonse resided in that house from roughly February 2021 by Aug. 6, 2021, when he was arrested on a federal firearms offense. A search of the house recovered a loaded Glock mannequin 43X, 9-millimeter firearm, 47 rounds of ammunition and 40 grams or extra of fentanyl, amongst different issues.

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The cost of wire fraud conspiracy gives for a sentence of as much as 20 years in jail, as much as three years of supervised launch and a positive of as much as $250,000. The cost of false illustration of a social safety quantity gives for a sentence of as much as 5 years, as much as three years of supervised launch and a positive of as much as $250,000. The cost of aggravated identification theft gives for obligatory sentence of two years in jail to be served consecutively to some other sentence imposed, as much as one 12 months of supervised launch and a positive of as much as $250,000. The cost of being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition gives for a sentence of as much as 10 years in jail, as much as three years of supervised launch and a positive of as much as $250,000. The cost of possession with intent to distribute 40 grams or extra of fentanyl carries a compulsory minimal sentence of 5 years and as much as 40 years in jail, as much as 4 years of supervised launch and a positive of as much as $5 million. The sentences are imposed by a federal district decide primarily based upon the U.S. Sentencing Tips and different statutory elements.

United States Lawyer Rachael S. Rollins; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Particular Agent in Cost of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Mark Comorosky, Particular Agent in Cost of the U.S. Secret Service, Boston Area Workplace; Jonathan Mellone, Particular Agent in Cost of Division of Labor, Workplace of Inspector Basic, Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Boston Police Appearing Commissioner Gregory Lengthy; and Cambridge Police Commissioner Christine Elow made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Lawyer J. Mackenzie Duane of Rollins’ Main Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

On Could 17, 2021, the Lawyer Basic established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Activity Power to marshal the sources of the Division of Justice in partnership with companies throughout authorities to reinforce efforts to fight and stop pandemic-related fraud. The Activity Power bolsters efforts to analyze and prosecute essentially the most culpable home and worldwide prison actors and assists companies tasked with administering aid packages to forestall fraud by, amongst different strategies, augmenting and incorporating current coordination mechanisms, figuring out sources and strategies to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing data and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For extra data on the Division’s response to the pandemic, please go to https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anybody with details about allegations of tried fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Division of Justice’s Nationwide Heart for Catastrophe Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or through the NCDF Net Criticism Type at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

The small print contained within the charging paperwork are allegations. The defendant is presumed harmless until and till confirmed responsible past an affordable doubt in a court docket of legislation.

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Boston, MA

Mass. Gov. Healey seizes Steward-run hospital in Boston in bid to keep its doors open

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Mass. Gov. Healey seizes Steward-run hospital in Boston in bid to keep its doors open


The Healey administration said Friday that it had seized a Boston hospital most recently operated by bankrupt Steward Health Care.

The Democratic governor’s office said it used eminent domain to seize St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in the city’s Brighton neighborhood, a move that will allow it to take control of the property and transfer the hospital’s operations to Boston Medical Center.

  • Read More: St. Elizabeth’s landlords fight state takeover of Steward-owned hospital

As part of the legal process to take the hospital, Healey’s office argued that a potential shutdown for St. Elizabeth’s would create a public health emergency.

That’s because of the large number of patients the hospital now serves, and the knock-on effects to medical services across the region, the administration said.

The firms that controlled the hospital’s real estate had fought the takeover, rejecting what they say is the state’s low-ball offer for the property, State House News Service reported last month.

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On Friday, Healey said that while one of the firms, Apollo Global Management “continues to put its greed ahead of the health and wellbeing of the people of Massachusetts, we are taking action to make sure St. Elizabeth’s remains open.”

“By transferring operations to Boston Medical Center, we will protect access to care for tens of thousands of patients and save thousands of jobs,” Healey said in the statement.

Healey’s office had previously announced that it had found new operators for five of Dallas-based Steward’s seven hospitals in Massachusetts.

Lawrence General Hospital will become the new operator for both campuses of Holy Family in Haverhill and Methuen, Lifespan will assume operations of Morton and Saint Anne’s, and Boston Medical Center will take over Good Samaritan.

These transfers of ownership are expected to go into effect on Oct. 1, Healey’s office said.

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Two Steward-run hospitals, Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, and Carney Hospital in Dorchester, closed in August after Steward said it failed to find “qualified” bidders for the property.

Earlier this week, Healey’s office said it had convened a pair of working groups aimed at addressing the impact of those shutdowns.

On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate approved a resolution intended to hold Steward’s CEO, Ralph de la Torre, in criminal contempt for failing to testify before a Senate panel.

The Senate approved the measure by unanimous consent.

Members of a Senate committee looking into the bankruptcy of Steward Health Care adopted the resolution last week after de la Torre refused to attend a committee hearing despite being issued a subpoena.

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The resolution was sent to the full Senate for consideration, The Associated Press reported.



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This Boston restaurant made the New York Times best restaurant list. What to order

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This Boston restaurant made the New York Times best restaurant list. What to order


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The New York Times just released their fourth annual restaurant list, and one spot in Boston made the cut.

This list compiles 50 of the best dining locations across the country, which the Times calls their “50 favorite places” to eat in America for the year. Out of the 50, four are in New England, with one each in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

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While Dorchester’s Comfort Kitchen was the only Massachusetts restaurant to make the list last year, Somaek in downtown Boston is representing the state on this year’s list.

Somaek features traditional Korean dishes in a comfortable, intimate setting away from the business of Downtown Crossing. Chef Jamie Bissonnette says he fell in love with Korean cuisine while cooking with his mother-in-law Soon Han, to whom he gives full credit for the menu.

“We are thrilled to raise a glass to our team and celebrate being named among the @nytimes Restaurants List highlighting their 50 favorite places in America right now,” the restaurant posted on Instagram after being named to the list.

The restaurant is only one aspect of the three businesses currently owned by Bissonnette’s restaurant group. Located right next door is Temple Records, a music lounge and bar that takes inspiration from Japanese listening bars, and downstairs is a sushi counter and speakeasy.

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What to eat at Somaek

When it comes to the robust menu, writer Julia Moskin recommends classic dishes in The New York Times story such as chilled pork belly, seared beef and stir-fried squid with rice cakes.

Moskin also calls the Banchan menu “a master class,” recommending shareable sides like chive-garlic salad, radish kimchi and pickled perilla leaf.

How to visit Somaek

Somaek is open from 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 5-10:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

You can find Somaek at 11 Temple Pl. in Boston. Discounted parking is available for customers in the Lafayette Garage at 1 Lafayette Pl.

Craft burgers, ‘not dogs’ and more: New Choo-Chew dining car on a roll in Somerset

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What other New England restaurants made the list?

Want to visit some of the other winners? Here are the three other restaurants in New England that made the New York Times’ top 50:





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Local businesses see boost thanks to Boston’s Open Streets program

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Local businesses see boost thanks to Boston’s Open Streets program


EAST BOSTON – Boston’s “Open Streets” program offers residents a chance to experience different neighborhoods and to see streets as public spaces and local businesses are benefiting.

Influx of customers

At the core, La Hacienda is a small, family-owned restaurant in the heart of East Boston. They made their Open Streets debut when the city-run program made a stop in the neighborhood on Sept. 15 – shutting down Meridian Street to traffic and making it pedestrian-only for the day.

“I put a little pupusas stand out there. I had the ladies making some fresh pupusas right there for the people walking by to check out,” owner Aldo Callejas said. “I was expecting, hopefully, to get to $500.”

That $500 goal quickly exceeded $2,000 in a matter of hours.

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Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she expanded the program this year to showcase what makes each neighborhood unique. Open Streets made stops in Dorchester, Roxbury, Hyde Park and Jamaica Plain.

“As it’s become more of a tradition, it moves around the city in different months and we see an entire showing of thousands of people come out,” the mayor said.

Supporting local businesses

The small business saw a big impact after that weekend.

“I’ve been seeing a new influx of customers. A lot of people saw it as an opportunity to check out the rest of the neighborhood instead of just the waterfront,” Callejas said.

At La Hacienda on Thursday, Red Sox pitcher Brennan Bernardino was spotted at the bar having lunch.

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“First day I came here, it was a Sunday, and there was a mariachi band playing, I came in here with my family. Great food, good vibes,” the player said.

It’s the boost that Callejas needed after dealing with the impacts of the Sumner Tunnel closures all summer.

“A pleasant surprise. I really enjoyed that a lot of people from outside the city were able to come in, experience the restaurant,” he said.

The last stop of the season is Allston-Brighton on Sunday, Oct. 20 – giving people an excuse to head outside and shop small.

“Boston is full of small businesses,” Bernardino said. “It’s what makes it unique.”

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