The owner of the “Pinz” bowling alley in Milford has been accused of using over $1.2 million in COVID relief funds to build a house in South Carolina and buy multiple vehicles.
David Breen, 54, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina was charged in federal court in Worcester with one count of theft of government property, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Breen has been accused of spending more than $1.2 million in Economic Injury and Disaster Loan (EIDL) money he received from the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to build a home and buy a car and a truck.
Breen, who operated bowling alley and entertainment venue “Pinz” in Milford under the “Fun Zone” business entity, received $1.5 million in total from the SBA after applying in March 2022. Under the loan agreement, Breen was supposed to used the proceeds as working capital for his business.
However, Breen has been accused of using more than $1.2 million of this money through June 2023 to build a home for himself in Mount Pleasant, S.C., to buy a truck for $111,000 and to put a downpayment of $98,289 on a Mercedes, the office said.
If convicted, Breen could face up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. A federal judge will decide the sentence based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and federal law.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol, and Massachusetts Inspector General S. Jeffrey Shapiro.
The U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General in Boston also assisted in the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan D. O’Shea from the Worcester office is handling the prosecution.
