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March 31, 2021

Former Natick contractor sentenced to 37 months for Worcester fraud charges

Photo | Courtesy of Google 5 May St. in Worcester

James E. Levin, a real estate developer formerly of Natick and now residing on Nantucket, was sentenced to 37 months in prison over a $2.3 million fraud scheme related to redeveloping a multi-family home at 5 May St. in Worcester, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced on Tuesday.

Levin, who was sentenced Tuesday, was also given three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution and forfeiture, which will be determined at a later date.

He pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and false claims.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Levin submitted fraudulent payment requests to the City of Worcester for funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, intended to be used to rehabilitate a property at 5 May St. Levin reportedly submitted seven payment requests for work that was never completed, ultimately obtaining $2.3 million for the project, while the City of Worcester was required to pay back the money to the government.

In September, Levin agreed to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement related to the case.

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2 Comments

Anonymous
March 31, 2021
Why does this particular story need to be about race? The guy committed fraud and will be spending three years in prison for it. I don’t how you could read this story and immediately think about racism. There are a lot of issues in this world that are directly related to racism and how Black people in America are not treated fairly, and let’s face it, they’re not, but this story doesn’t have anything to do with it.
Anonymous
March 31, 2021
I wonder if this was done by a Black contractor, he would get the same sentence. This is a joke! I am sure he and his family are enjoying upscale Nantucket's life on my taxes' money.
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