A Massachusetts businessman used COVID relief funds meant to help his plumbing business to buy an $83,000 diamond ring and remodel his home.
Jesse Lelievre, 42, of North Andover, pleaded guilty after he was charged with theft of government property in July. In January, he was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper to two years of supervised release, with the first five months as home detention. Lelievre was also ordered to pay $179,090 in restitution.
Lelievre is the owner of Paramount Plumbing & Heating. In 2021, he applied for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and agreed to “use all the proceeds of this Loan solely as working capital to alleviate economic injury” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
On Jan. 6, 2022, Lelievre received about $1,222,000 from the U.S Small Business Administration.
But that money wasn’t used just to help his business.
About a month after getting the money, the businessman used bout $13,000 of it to pay for landscaping services at his home, court documents state. He later spent another $7,000 on landscaping at his house.
He also used about $5,000 of it for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning services at his home.
On May 24, 2022, Lelievre used about $83,000 to pay for a diamond ring that he purchased as a gift for his spouse, court documents state.
And in September 2022, he used about $71,290 to pay for remodeling services at his home, according to court documents.
Overall, officials said he misappropriated about $179,000 for personal expenses.
