Tedje Menard, 27, formerly of Everett, was indicted on January 27, 2022, in connection with schemes to receive pandemic-related financial relief from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program.
According to federal law enforcement officials, in November 2020, Menard used another person’s identity to file a rental application for an apartment in East Boston. During the screening process, Menard reportedly provided the property management company with the victim’s name, social security number and date of birth and a copy of a purported North Carolina driver’s license. The license displayed a picture of Menard; however, the rest of the information had allegedly been stolen.
In April 2021, Menard used his own name to apply for a PPP loan in the amount of $20,833; however, he allegedly gave false representations regarding his criminal history and the gross income generated by his business in 2019. Two months later, Menard allegedly used a stolen identity on an EIDL application for $40,000.
Menard was arrested in November 2021 and was charged with two counts of wire fraud, one count of false representation of a social security number and one count of aggravated identity theft. Under federal law, Menard, if convicted, could face up to 27 years in prison, up to seven years of supervised release and fines of up to $750,000.