Hub nonprofit big arrested
Violence In Boston director accused by feds of taking unemployment while pulling in $70G salary
A director for the Violence In Boston nonprofit has been arrested by the feds on pandemic unemployment and mortgage fraud charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Clark Grant, 38, of Taunton, is accused of collecting more than $67,000 in pandemic unemployment benefits while at the same time working and taking home a full-time salary of close to $70,000 a year, according to federal court documents.
He is the husband of Monica Cannon-Grant, president and founder of Violence In Boston and an outspoken community activist.
Grant allegedly made the fraudulent Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claims and incorporated them in a mortgage application for a Taunton residence, according to a federal affidavit.
In addition, Grant listed the assets controlled by Violence in Boston, totaling over $447,000, as a personal asset on his mortgage application, according to prosecutors. He has been charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of false statements on a loan and credit application.
Clark and Monica are listed as husband and wife on the deed and mortgage for the Taunton residence, according to documents on file with the Bristol County Registry of Deeds. Monica has not been charged.
Violence In Boston, which was founded by Monica, says its goals are to “reduce violence and provide community aid to disenfranchised communities.”
Efforts to reach Violence In Boston and Monica were unsuccessful on Tuesday.
The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program was designed to provide unemployment benefits for those who are not eligible for other types of unemployment benefits.
From May 2020 to last month, Grant fraudulently applied for and obtained approximately $67,950 in PUA benefits while at the same time working and collecting a salary from his fulltime job, according to the feds’ charging documents.
As of July, Grant was listed as a director of Violence In Boston. He was being paid $69,243 a year at his full-time job, not including overtime, according to tax records cited by federal prosecutors.
“In order to obtain PUA benefits, Grant attested, under the pains and penalties of perjury, that he did not work (full-time or parttime) during the relevant period, did not earn any other income, and was unable to work due to COVID-19,” reads the federal affidavit.
From May 2020 through last month, Grant on 68 different occasions certified that he had been unable to work due to the pandemic. Meanwhile, company employment records — including time sheets — showed that Grant was continuing to work.
Also, from May to July 2021, Grant is accused of making false statements to a mortgage lender in order to fraudulently obtain a $410,000 residential mortgage.
The charge of wire fraud could lead to a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charge of false statements on a loan and credit application could lead to a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million.