VA Medical Technician Sentenced for $41,666 PPP Loan Fraud

A VA medical technician was sentenced to one year of probation for fraudulently obtaining $41,666 in PPP loans with false applications and fraudulent tax documents, then falsely claiming the full amount as payroll on forgiveness applications.

Denise Baez, a medical technician employed by the Department of Veterans Affairs in Brockton, Massachusetts, submitted false Paycheck Protection Program loan applications claiming sole-proprietorship income and supporting them with fraudulent tax documents.

She received $41,666 across two PPP loans and, in the words of the U.S. Attorney's Office, "Baez used that money on personal expenses."

In September 2021 she submitted loan forgiveness applications falsely claiming the entire amount had been spent on payroll, and the loans were forgiven.

Baez pleaded guilty in July 2026 to two counts of wire fraud and was sentenced on October 29, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Judge Patti B. Saris to one year of probation. The case was investigated by the VA Office of Inspector General's Northeast Field Office with the Department of Labor, and announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley; the funds were federal PPP funds, not VA program funds — the VA connection is her employment and the OIG's investigation.

"Baez used that money on personal expenses."
— U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts

Source: U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts. Case file in the VA Fraud case files — part of the VA Fraud record. Cases are published as the courts decided them; amounts are stated as the Justice Department states them (billed, stolen, or ordered in restitution, as labeled).