The longtime owner of a Milford-based bowling alley and entertainment center has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Worcester to committing COVID relief fraud.
David Breen, 54, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, pleaded guilty on Monday, March 30, to one count of theft of government property.
Judge Margaret Guzman scheduled sentencing for June 25. Breen faces 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
Breen is owner of Fun Zone, which operated the PiNZ bowling alley on South Main Street and other venues in Milford. According to the Department of Justice, he applied for an Economic Injury and Disaster Loan in March 2022 on behalf of Fun Zone.
As part of the loan agreement, Breen was to use the money as capital for the business. The program, funded through the U.S. Small Business Administration, was designed…
THE ISUZU MOTORS PAYROLL FRAUD (GQEBERHA, SA)
Date: February 16, 2026 Perpetrator: Natasja Slabbert (42)
Case Description: In a case that hit home for the Eastern Cape business community, Natasja Slabbert, a payroll administrator at Isuzu Motors South Africa’s Struandale plant, was arrested for an alleged R10.5 million fraud. The scheme, which began surfacing in late 2024, exploited the very systems designed to manage employee compensation. Slabbert allegedly manipulated payroll records to create false entries that appeared as legitimate deductions and contributions on employee payslips. In reality, these “deductions” were being diverted into her personal bank account.
The fraud was only uncovered after diligent employees noticed that their net “take-home” pay was significantly lower than expected, despite the gross amounts on their payslips remaining high. Following a thorough probe by the Hawks’ Serious Commercial Crime Investigation team and the NPA’s Specialised Commercial Crime Unit, it was discovered that in August 2024 alone, over R626,000 was unlawfully transferred. Slabbert was granted bail of R5,000 on February 17, 2026, and the case has been postponed to later in the month for further legal proceedings. This case highlights the critical need for “segregation of duties” in payroll departments, as a single point of failure allowed for the systematic siphoning of millions over nearly two years.
Link to Original: PE Express – Isuzu Payroll Fraud