A Massachusetts man was sentenced Thursday for his role in mailing dozens of kilograms of cocaine into the state, some packed inside air fryers, and stealing over $220,000 in COVID relief funds.
Patrick Joseph, 42, of Stoughton, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 11½ years in prison with five years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty in March to a number of wire and bank fraud charges, along with charges related to cocaine possession and distribution.
From February 2020 until May 2021, Joseph helped ship between 10 and 120 kilograms of cocaine from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, then to Massachusetts through the U.S. Mail. He was part of a drug trafficking organization that sent cocaine to addresses throughout Eastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
Two-kilogram quantities of the drug were found at stash locations during the investigation, stuffed inside air fryers and locking cash boxes.
Additionally, investigators discovered Joseph was involved in a scheme to defraud the COVID-19 pandemic relief program. He obtained over $220,000 through 12 fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans through April 2020 and April 2021.
Joseph and his co-conspirator, Yves Montima, would claim independent contractor income that did not exist, giving false proof through fake tax documents.
They filled out the loans in their own names and on behalf of others at different financial institutions and received kickback income from those they committed the crime on behalf of. Montima pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud conspiracy in November 2021 and was sentenced in September 2023.
