A 31-year-old man from Leominster could be sentenced to more than 25 years in prison in connection with a scheme to steal $1,355,863 by depositing a forged tax refund check and then laundering the money, according to officials.
Jesse El-Ghoul was indicted on July 31 by a federal grand jury in Boston on one count of theft of government funds, one count of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering, according to a press release from the office of the United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts.
For the charge of theft of government funds, El-Ghoul could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
For the charge of bank fraud, El-Ghoul could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1 million, according to the press release.
For each of the charges of money laundering, El-Ghoul could face 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, according to the press release. The fine depends on whichever number is greater, the press release reads.
El-Ghoul owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster and owed back taxes for the business, according to the charging documents.
On March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863, payable to Affordable Motor Group, into his business bank account, Leah B. Foley‘s office stated.
The check had been issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company and had been forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company, Foley‘s office claimed.
Days after depositing the check, Foley‘s office said El-Ghoul returned to the bank and bought cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000, which were payable to shell companies and a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction, in eastern Massachusetts.
El-Ghoul was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 6.
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