Boston Sober House Boss Jailed in Lavish Fraud Scheme

Daniel Cleggett, 39, of Kingston, formerly of Braintree and Quincy, was sentenced in Boston federal court by William G. Young to six years behind bars, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $1.85 million in restitution and forfeit more than $1.5 million, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts.

Prosecutors said the case exposed a years-long pattern of deception that blended addiction services, real estate fraud and pandemic-era loan abuse, all while Cleggett funded a lifestyle that included luxury travel, resort stays and even wedding expenses.

From sober houses to wire fraud

Cleggett founded A Vision From God LLC, a sober house business launched in 2016 that operated properties across Boston, Wakefield, Quincy and Weymouth under names like Brady’s Place, Lakeshore Retreat and Lambert House. Federal investigators said the operation was anything but charitable.

Working with co-conspirator Nicholas Espinosa, Cleggett allegedly overcharged a New York-based family trust up to $12,500 per month for a sober house client’s room and board, using false invoices. The pair then issued so-called “refund” checks to the client as part of the scheme, masking the fraud while siphoning off cash.

Espinosa pleaded guilty in October 2024 and is scheduled to be sentenced later this month.

Mortgage lies and straw buyers

Between 2019 and 2021, prosecutors said Cleggett and his associates bought multiple residential properties using false mortgage applications, claiming the houses would be primary residences when they were actually intended to operate as sober houses. Straw purchasers were used to push the deals through, a tactic federal authorities say helped conceal the true purpose of the properties.

Mass Save millions and a ban ignored

Beyond sober houses, Cleggett also ran several insulation companies tied into the state-backed Mass Save Program, a public-private partnership funded through Massachusetts utility bills.

Federal court filings say companies linked to Cleggett fraudulently billed for permits that were never obtained, pulling in millions before being terminated and banned from the program in 2021. Prosecutors said Cleggett then re-entered the program under new company names and straw owners, collecting nearly $1 million more despite the ban.

COVID loans spent on travel, wine and caviar

The fraud didn’t stop there. In the early days of the pandemic, Cleggett applied for and received more than $792,000 in federal COVID-19 EIDL loans, prosecutors said, by submitting false information and even applying under a business that did not exist.

Instead of using the funds for business operations, investigators said the money went to personal expenses: airline tickets, car rentals, resort hotels in Aruba and Montana, spa treatments, gym memberships, pet expenses and a wine-and-caviar dinner. Nearly $38,000 in loan money was allegedly spent on wedding costs alone.

Federal warning shot

U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said the sentence sends a clear message about exploiting public trust and vulnerable people for profit. The case was investigated by the IRS Criminal Investigation unit and the FBI’s Boston Division, with assistance from local police departments in Kingston, Randolph and Quincy.

For Massachusetts residents, the case highlights how programs meant to support recovery, energy efficiency and struggling businesses can be abused when oversight fails. For federal prosecutors, it marks the end of a years-long investigation into what they described as one of the most brazen multi-layered fraud schemes tied to sober houses in the region.