Physician Sentenced to Two-and-a-Half Years in Prison for Misappropriating COVID-19 Relief Program Funds
- June 02, 2023
Dr. Francis F. Joseph was sentenced to two and a half years in prison for fraudulently obtaining and misappropriating approximately $250,000 from two separate COVID-19 relief programs, the Department of Justice announced June 1.
Joseph was the supervisory physician at Springs Medical Associates, a medical clinic with three offices in Colorado. From March through June 2020, Joseph applied for and received government funds for COVID-19 relief from the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program and the Paycheck Protection Program.
Although the programs were established to provide emergency financial assistance to medical providers and small businesses who were suffering economic effects from the COVID-19 pandemic, Joseph instead used the money he received to pay for his personal expenses, a press release said.