MIDDLETON — Daniel Olivar, 43, of Lynnfield, who opened Sonny’s Boxing and Fitness in Middleton back in 2020, has been sentenced in federal court on four wire fraud charges for fraudulently obtaining multiple Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act loans, including funds from the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), and unemployment benefits to which he was not entitled.
After pleading guilty in August of last year, Olivar was sentenced on Jan. 30 to six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release with the first six months to be served in home confinement. In addition, Olivar was ordered to pay $50,844 in restitution.
Since at least 2019, Olivar had engaged in a scheme to defraud and obtain CARES Act business loans, by filing false and fraudulent applications with the U.S. Small Business administration (SBA). This included an Economic Injury Disaster Loan of $20,832 from the SBA and a PPP loan through TD Bank, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office.
In addition, Olivar received Massachusetts unemployment benefits from January 2020 until at least May 2021, falsely claiming that he was laid off from Gold’s Gym while he was earning income running his business.
Sonny’s Boxing and Fitness, which is on South Main Street (Route 114) in Middleton, was the subject of a Salem News feature story in 2022, where Olivar described the facility’s slogan, “We not me.”
In 2021, then-Attorney General Maura Healey established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud.
Michael McHugh can be contacted at mmchugh@northofboston.com or at 781-799-5202