Boston, MA – A Florida woman has been sentenced to 10 months in prison after admitting to defrauding both a Massachusetts housing agency and the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through the pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
Alihea Jones, 51, of Brandon, Florida, was sentenced in federal court in Boston on Monday. U.S. District Court Judge Patti B. Saris also ordered her to serve three years of supervised release and pay $222,074 in restitution. Jones pleaded guilty in September 2024 to five counts of wire fraud.
Jones worked remotely for the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in 2022, assisting low-income residents through the Residential Aid to Families in Transition (RAFT) program. After her termination, she unlawfully accessed the RAFT system and redirected housing assistance payments intended for four landlords—totaling over $33,000—into unauthorized accounts, including her personal account and her business, Beauty Concepts by Alihea, LLC. Jones also shared the stolen funds with two associates, who later gave her $2,000 kickbacks.
In a separate fraud scheme in 2021, Jones obtained a $187,000 PPP loan by falsely claiming her business had 17 employees. In reality, Beauty Concepts had no staff. She later submitted fraudulent information to have the loan forgiven. Most of the funds were spent on personal expenses, including clothing and dining.
Authorities continue to crack down on pandemic-related fraud, emphasizing accountability for those who exploited relief programs.
