A former Quincy man, who had been a fugitive for more than 20 years, was sentenced Monday in federal court in Boston in connection with a $1.9 million real estate investment fraud scheme in Quincy.

Scott J. Wolas, 69, was sentenced to 81 months in prison, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay just over $1.9 million in restitution to the victims of his fraud scheme. He was also ordered to pay $69,768 to Social Security and Medicare and $318,266 to the IRS. In June 2018, Wolas pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, misuse of a Social Security number and tax evasion in June 2018.

Using the name Eugene Grathwohl, Wolas operated a real estate business known as Increasing Fortune Inc. and worked as a licensed real estate agent for Century 21 in Quincy from at least 2009 through 2016. For two years he solicited investments for the development of the Beachcomber Bar property on Quincy Shore Drive and for the construction of a single-family home on the adjacent property. He collected more than $1.9 million from at least 24 investors and promised each of them a significant return on their investments. He further promised to pay out at least 125 percent of the profits related to the single-family home construction. However, Wolas used the money mostly for personal expenses unrelated to development of the real estate projects.

Wolas was scheduled to close on the Beachcomber property on Sept. 15, 2016. A week before he left Quincy and ceased all contact with his then-girlfriend, his coworkers and his investors. Law enforcement then discovered that Grathwohl was actually Wolas, a former lawyer who had been a fugitive since 1997 after being charged with fraud and grand larceny in New York. The real Eugene Grathwohl resided in Florida and was known to Wolas. Police were eventually able to track Wolas down through his ex-wife.

Former Quincy Man Sentenced for $1.9M Real Estate Fraud Scheme

by Banker & Tradesman time to read: 1 min
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