BOSTON, Mass.- A former executive of a Roxbury nursing and rehabilitation facility was sentenced in federal court in Boston after admitting to misusing more than $190,000 in nonprofit funds for personal expenses and investments.
Tony Francis, 60, of Needham, was sentenced last week to six months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts. Francis pleaded guilty in February 2026 to two counts of intentional misapplication of money from a program receiving federal funds.
Francis served as administrator, president and chief executive officer of the Edgar P. Benjamin Health Center, which operated Benjamin Healthcare, a skilled nursing and rehabilitation facility in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood.
Federal prosecutors said the nonprofit faced major financial problems during 2023 and 2024, including cash shortages and difficulty meeting payroll obligations. In April 2024, the Massachusetts Superior Court appointed a receiver to oversee operations at the facility.
According to court records, Francis used nearly $160,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loan funds provided through the U.S. Small Business Administration as a deposit for a personal real estate investment in 2020.
Prosecutors also said Francis directed the nonprofit to pay principal, interest and late fees tied to a $100,000 personal loan during 2023 and 2024 without approval from the organization’s board of directors.
Authorities further alleged that between 2022 and 2024, Francis drew from an EPBHC line of credit and transferred funds into his personal checking account to cover mortgage payments and credit card bills.
Federal authorities said Francis misappropriated more than $190,000 from the nonprofit, though most of the money was later repaid.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation and the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
