Chelsea Produce Distributor Sentenced for Perjury and Obstruction of Justice

BOSTON -- A Chelsea produce distributor was sentenced yesterday in U.S. District Court in Boston after pleading guilty to filing fraudulent documents in federal court and then committing perjury in an attempt to conceal his crime.

John S. Alphas, 57, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to one year and one day in prison, to be served consecutively with a 15-month federal sentence he is currently serving for an unrelated insurance fraud scheme, and a fine of $5,000. In January 2017, Alphas was charged with tampering with documents and making false declarations before a court.

From 2010 to 2012, Alphas was a participant in at least 14 lawsuits filed in federal court in Boston. In a number of the lawsuits, Alphas filed fraudulent appeal bonds, usually created by purchasing less expensive bonds that were easier to obtain, altering them, and then filing the forgeries with the court. When one of Alphas's counterparties discovered his fraud in 2013, Alphas filed a false declaration about the bond with the court, and then testified falsely in a court hearing disclaiming any role in the creation or filing of any fraudulent bond. Despite having been responsible for filing the forged bond, Alphas falsely testified that he "had nothing to do with" obtaining, altering, or filing the bond with the court.

Acting United States Attorney William D. Weinreb and Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division, made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Perez-Daple of Weinreb's Criminal Division prosecuted the case.