BOSTON — A former Massachusetts woman now living in Minnesota has been indicted by a federal grand jury for fraudulently obtaining more than $100,000 in pandemic rental assistance.
Yvonette Joseph, 45, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, formerly of Holliston, was indicted on two counts of theft of government money and two counts of unlawful monetary transactions, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said in a statement.
Joseph was previously charged by criminal complaint in August 2025 and released on conditions.
According to the charging documents, in or about November 2021, Joseph received more than $100,000 in Emergency Rental Assistance funds from the California Department of Housing & Community Development, the administrator of the ERA program for the state of California, after purported tenants submitted applications identifying Joseph as the landlord of a property in Los Angeles.
Upon receipt of the funds, prosecutors said Joseph allegedly moved the funds from one bank account she controlled to another account she controlled, before wiring some of the funds to a bank account in Nigeria and wiring other funds to a cryptocurrency exchange – a digital marketplace where users can buy, sell, and trade cryptocurrency.
In 2021, Congress established the Emergency Rental Assistance program to provide financial assistance to eligible low-income households to cover the costs of rent, rental arrears, utilities and other house-related expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
For each charge of theft of government money and unlawful monetary transactions, Joseph faces a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater, forfeiture, and restitution.
Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline via this website.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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