A former corrections officer with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges related to fraudulent applications for pandemic relief funds. Christnel Orisca, 25, of Boston, admitted in federal court to five counts of wire fraud and one count of making a false statement to a financial institution. The charges stem from his efforts to obtain benefits through CARES Act programs such as the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Orisca’s fraudulent activities took place before he joined the sheriff’s department in late 2021. He was employed full-time at a security company and later at a delivery company while collecting about $54,700 in unemployment benefits and small business loan funds.
According to prosecutors, Orisca falsely represented his employment status on PUA applications, claiming each week that he had not worked or received income. In his PPP loan application, he submitted false statements regarding income and payroll for purported small businesses to SBA-approved lenders and made additional misrepresentations when seeking forgiveness for those loans.
Orisca was arrested and charged in December 2024. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for March 11, 2026.
The wire fraud charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The charge of making false statements to a financial institution can result in up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $1 million fine. Sentences are determined by federal judges according to statutory guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley stated: “United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jonathan Mellone, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Inspector General; and Joseph V. Cuffari, Ph.D., Inspector General, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General made the announcement today.” She noted that several agencies assisted with the investigation including the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Boston Police Department and Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Dustin Chao is prosecuting the case.
In May 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to strengthen efforts across government agencies against pandemic-related fraud schemes (https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus, https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus/combatingfraud).
Individuals with information about attempted COVID-19 fraud are encouraged to report it through the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud hotline or web form (https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/webform/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form).
