The former chief executive officer of the Edgar P. Benjamin Health Center was sentenced on May 20 in federal court in Boston for misusing funds belonging to the non-profit organization.
Tony Francis, age 60 and a resident of Needham, received a sentence of six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release from U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani. Francis had pleaded guilty in February to two counts related to intentional misapplication of money from a program that receives federal funding.
Francis held several leadership roles at the Edgar P. Benjamin Health Center, which operated as a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Roxbury, Boston. The center faced serious financial challenges during 2023 and 2024, including cash shortages and an inability to meet payroll obligations. In April 2024, the Massachusetts Superior Court appointed a receiver to manage operations at the center.
Prosecutors said Francis abused his position by using close to $160,000 from Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds—provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration—for a personal real estate deposit in 2020. He also arranged payments totaling $100,000 on his personal loan without board approval and transferred additional funds from an organizational line of credit into his own accounts between 2022 and 2024 for personal expenses such as mortgage payments and credit card bills. Most of these funds were later returned.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division; and Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge with Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation’s Boston Field Office announced these developments with support from the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
On March 26, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced: “the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts.” Foley said this team is led by two senior federal prosecutors who serve as Fraud Coordinators tasked with investigating misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits statewide.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud through dedicated phone lines provided by authorities.
On April 7, “the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division,” which investigates those committing fraud against Americans as part of President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts advances community initiatives on civil rights and violence prevention; maintains facilities at multiple locations including Boston; is part of the United States Department of Justice; employs over 200 attorneys and staff; enforces federal laws through prosecution including national security threats and civil rights violations; and serves all residents across Massachusetts according to its official website.
