LEOMINSTER – A local man pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston on Thursday, Jan. 15, to federal charges related to a scheme to steal over $1.3 million by depositing a forged check and laundering the money using cashier’s checks and shell companies.
Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds, one count of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering.
According to federal prosecutors, El-Ghoul owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster and owed back business taxes. In March 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for over $1.3 million into his business bank account.
Prosecutors say the U.S. Treasury issued that check to a Canadian company, but the check was forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company.
Days later, El-Ghoul bought cashier’s checks in various amounts and deposited those checks into the accounts of shell companies and a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction.
The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transactions, whichever is greater.
The judge in the case, U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper, set sentencing for April 16 at the John Joseph Moakley U.S. Courthouse in Boston.
