A Massachusetts man faces decades behind bars after stealing more than $1.3 million from the U.S. government using forged checks.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) says 31-year-old Leominster resident Jesse El-Ghoul has pleaded guilty to one count of theft of public funds, one count of bank fraud and four counts of money laundering for operating a counterfeit tax refund scheme.
Prosecutors say El-Ghoul deposited a $1.344 million tax refund check into his Affordable Motor Group business account on March 29, 2024.
Court records show that the Treasury Department originally issued the check in question to a Canadian company based on its 2021 tax return.
El-Ghoul altered and forged the check to make it payable to Affordable Motor Group, a company he owned and operated. The DOJ also says El-Ghoul owed back taxes for the company.
In the days following the fraudulent deposit, El-Ghoul returned to the bank and purchased multiple checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000. El-Ghoul made the checks payable to shell companies and to a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts in an attempt to launder the money.
El-Ghoul was arrested and charged on a criminal complaint in June 2025 and was later indicted by a federal grand jury last August. He will be sentenced on April 16, 2026.
Says the DOJ,
“The theft of public funds charge provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine. The bank fraud charge 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 money laundering charges 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 money laundering transactions, depending on whichever of the two is greater.”
Follow us on X, Facebook and Telegram
Don’t miss a beat – Subscribe to receive email alerts straight to your inbox
Check price action
Surf to the Daily Hodl mix
Generated image: Midjourney