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Boston man who spent COVID relief money at casino, Saks, and Six Flags sentenced to 5 months in prison for fraud – The Boston Globe
A Boston man received a five-month prison term Friday for obtaining nearly $50,000 in fraudulent COVID-19 pandemic relief aid for his purported businesses, funds he instead spent at a casino and a Saks Fifth Avenue store, according to Acting US Attorney Joshua S. Levy’s office.
Antawn Davis, 40, learned his fate in US District Court in Boston, where he had pleaded guilty in June to wire fraud and making false statements, federal prosecutors said. Davis was also sentenced to two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $49,999 in restitution and forfeiture.
In April and May of 2021, Davis submitted bogus loan applications for the Paycheck Protection Program, meant to help businesses hurt by the pandemic, prosecutors said in a statement.
“The applications contained multiple false statements, including the purported business’ total gross income in 2020, and the purpose of the loan,” prosecutors said. “Davis also submitted false tax records in support of his loan applications.”
Davis received nearly $50,000 in public funds, money that he promptly spent “on non-business-related expenses, including transactions at a casino and at Saks Fifth Avenue.”
Within weeks of getting the taxpayer funds, Davis “spent nearly the entirety of the proceeds on non-business-related expenses through a series of transactions, including for example, at Champs Sports, a casino, a zoo, Six Flags, and Saks Fifth Avenue,” prosecutors said.
“The defendant spent the funds on shopping and recreational excursions,” they said. “No portion of the loan proceeds went toward keeping a business running or employees paid.”
In a recent sentencing memo, Davis’s lawyer, John H. Cunha Jr., asked that his client be spared prison time.
“He is a 40-year-old man, motivated by his personal and professional responsibilities as a father of four and a chef, who has worked to turn his life around,” Cunha wrote. “He requests a sentence of 36 months’ probation, which is ‘sufficient, but not greater than necessary’ to achieve the purposes of sentencing set forth” in federal law.
“The seriousness of Mr. Davis’ offense is mitigated by his remorse and desire to pay restitution,” he said. “There is no need to incarcerate Mr. Davis to prevent recidivism.”
Davis had thought about buying a food truck with the money but “determined there was a three-year waiting period” for a city permit, his lawyer said.
“He then spent some of the money paying bills, including a car payment, but also frittered some of it away, including by gambling, a regular pursuit, although he does not believe his gambling is problematic,” Cunha wrote.
Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.
The 54-19 Boston Celtics will make the trip to Texas’ Frost Bank Center to face the 31-41 San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, March 29, as their last and longest road trip of the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season continues. The Celtics are looking to add to their current 7-game win streak (the second longest in the league) against the Spurs, while San Antonio is just looking to get back in the win column after dropping their last 2 contests.
Health for both teams is trending up in terms of players not out for the season, with a key Boston star now absent from the injury report after a scary turned ankle for Jayson Tatum. The Celtics should win easily, but the Spurs are no longer a team safe to mail it in against.
Let’s take a look at player health for both teams, likely starters, and how to watch or stream the game.
Player injuries
For the Celtics, Payton Pritchard (hip), Al Horford (toe), and Xavier Tillman Sr. (knee) are questionable.
For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama (shoulder), De’Aaron Fox (finger), and Charles Bassey (knee) are out.
Probable starting lineups
Boston
- Derrick White
- Jrue Holiday
- Jaylen Brown
- Jayson Tatum
- Kristaps Porzingis
San Antonio
- Stephon Castle
- Chris Paul
- Devin Vassell
- Harrison Barnes
- Bismack Biyombo
How to watch or stream the game
Here’s when you should tune in to see the game:
- Date: Saturday, March 29, 2025
- Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: NBA TV, NBC Sports Boston
- Live Stream: Fubo (watch for free)
Readers Say
Readers recommend dozens of regional seafood spots.
After Yelp announced the best seafood restaurant in every U.S. state, we asked Boston.com readers for their favorite spot and more than 150 readers responded.
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These 6 restaurants are serving the best seafood in New England in 2025, according to Yelp
Yes, readers shared their favorite of Yelp’s picks (it’s in Rhode Island), but nearly half of the readers who responded to our informal poll chose “other” instead and named dozens of seafood restaurants across Massachusetts and Maine not on Yelp’s list.
Matunuck Oyster Bar in Rhode Island was our readers’ favorite from the Yelp list, which also included Turner’s Seafood in Massachusetts; Supreme Seafood Restaurant in Connecticut; Paella Seafood in Maine; Hooked Seafood Restaurant in New Hampshire; and The Gryphon in Vermont.
Alan B. from Scituate wrote the following about Matunuck Oyster Bar: “Great setting, incorporates oyster farm with land farm owned assets, owner is present and involved in the operation, and food is specular.”
About the runner-up on Yelp’s list, Turner’s Seafood, Eric from Jamaica Plain wrote, “Where else are you going to get finnan haddie? Where else can you get oysters with your hake marsala? Turner’s is old school but delicious.”
However, the following seafood spots are an even better choice, according to many of our readers.
Massachusetts
Maine
What’s your favorite seafood restaurant in New England?
Turner’s Seafood in Salem, Mass.
Supreme Seafood Restaurant in North Branford, Conn.
Paella Seafood in Portland, Maine
Hooked Seafood Restaurant in Manchester, N.H.
Matunuck Oyster Bar in South Kingstown, R.I.
The Gryphon in Burlington, Vermont
Boston, MA
ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2025: Boston-based Americans Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov produce epic skate for home crowd
Sometimes gold is more of a feeling – and less of a placement.
It felt that way Thursday (27 March) evening inside TD Garden as the Boston-based pairs team of Alisa Efimova and Misha Mitrofanov delivered one of the most chilling moments of the entire ISU World Figure Skating Championships week, bringing their home crowd to its feet.
And nearly blowing the roof off of this famed arena’s ceiling.
“It means everything; all of the hard work we’ve been putting in,” a breathless Mitrofanov said after. “We feel happy to make everyone so proud… everyone from the Skating Club of Boston, everyone who was affected by the crash.”
Hearts have been heavy in the skating community since the tragic Flight 5342 crash at the end of January, which included lives lost of many skaters, coaches and family members in the U.S. – a collection of them from Boston.
Efimova and Mitrofanov held up photos of those Boston Club members lost in the crash, including 1994 pairs world champions, Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, who were coaches at the club.
“It feels like a family; we’ve all come together. We’re very blessed to train there,” Mitrofanov said. “Probably half the crowd [tonight] was from Skating Club of Boston.”
Efimova and Mitrofanov were excellent from the start of their Je Suis Malade free skate, opening with a solid triple twist as they settled into the program. But from there they went from strength to strength, hitting one element at a time.
After Efimova was called for an under-rotation on the back end of their side-by-side jumping combination, they delivered in fierce form, nailing a throw triple loop and earning positive GOEs (Grades of Execution) on all three of their lifts.
It was their final lift that was most spellbinding. The crowd was on its feet seconds before the music stopped. Boston had just witnessed two of its own deliver on the world’s stage.
When did you realise how special the program was? they were asked.
“At the end,” a smiling Mitrofanov said.
“I forgot about the crowd, actually,” Efimova added. “Misha turned me around at the end to be like, ‘Watch!‘”
“This is a precious experience for us; to know that we have this within us,” Alisa continued. “I feel like the best is still to come.”
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