Pizza guy who terrorized workers admits he also stole from federal pandemic relief fund

Stavros Papantoniadis, already serving an 8 1/2-year federal prison sentence for physically and mentally abusing immigrant workers at pizza shops in Dorchester, Roslindale and Norwood, today pleaded guilty to defrauding a federal Covid-19 relief fund out of $500,000 for a Randolph pizza place he no longer owned.

Under a plea deal reached with prosecutors, Papantoniadis could have two more years added to his time in prison, and would have to reimburse the Small Business Administration for the money he got in January, 2022 from the SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, about five weeks after the SBA had rejected his initial request for a $987,000 loan - and seven months after he had sold the Randolph pizza place the money would supposedly have helped him keep open.

The proposed two-year sentence in the plea deal on the charge of false statements is only a recommendation to US District Court Judge Angel Kelley, who is presiding over his case. Kelley set sentencing for April 2, at which she could accept the recommendation or come up with a different sentence.

Papantoniadis was indicted by a federal grand jury on the Covid-related charge last April, even as he was behind bars awaiting trial in the worker-abuse case.