Falmouth Man Sentenced to Five Years for Federal Program Fraud, Wire Fraud

PORTLAND, Maine: A Falmouth man was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Portland for federal program fraud and wire fraud.

U.S. District Judge Nancy Torresen sentenced Joshua Cory Frances, 46, to five years in prison and two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $87,351 in restitution and to forfeit a 27-foot Boston Whaler boat, two marine outboard engines and a trailer. Frances pleaded guilty on October 27, 2021.

According to court records, Frances was the Commander of Maine Task Force One (MTF1), which was overseen by the Maine Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and funded from grants from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and through Maine Medical Center (MMC). Comprised primarily of physician assistants and emergency medical technicians, MTF1 augmented emergency medical service personnel for specific events in Maine and northern New England.

In 2015 and 2016, Frances converted to his own use property under the care of MTF1 and MMC, including a 44-foot sailing vessel, a 27-foot Boston Whaler boat and two marine outboard engines. Frances also falsely represented himself to be an employee of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and a member of law enforcement to the Defense Logistics Agency and other victims to improperly obtain over $150,000 worth of property, some of which he later converted to his own use.

“The DHS Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice individuals who fraudulently claim affiliation with DHS for personal gain. This sentence should send a clear message that these fraudsters will be held accountable,” said Dr. Joseph V. Cuffari, Inspector General of DHS.

“The sentencing announced today is the result of a joint investigative effort to seek justice against an individual who defrauded government programs,” stated Patrick J. Hegarty, Special Agent in Charge of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the investigative arm of the Department of Defense (DoD), Office of Inspector General. “The fraudulent conduct in this case undermined the integrity of the DoD’s disposition services program, which is designed to transfer excess DoD property to federal, state and local law enforcement agencies that make honest representations to the United States.”

DHS-OIG investigated the case with assistance from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Maine Attorney General’s Office, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Bureau of Motor Vehicles, and the Falmouth Police Department. Valuable support was provided by the FBI, MEMA, the Towns of Falmouth and Brunswick, FEMA and MMC.

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