Jesse Lelievre pleaded guilty to misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds for personal use.
BOSTON, MA (USPress.News) A Massachusetts businessman pleaded guilty to misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds for personal use.
Jesse Lelievre, 41, of North Andover, pleaded guilty to theft of government property. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled Dec. 19, 2024, sentencing. Lelievre was charged in July 2024.
Jesse Lelievre was the owner and manager of Paramount Plumbing & Heating LLC, a Massachusetts company that provided plumbing, heating, and related services. In 2021, Lelievre applied for a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) on behalf of Paramount Plumbing & Heating. Jesse Lelievre obtained the loan through the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program, which provided loans to small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To obtain the loan, Lelievre entered into a loan agreement with the SBA in which he agreed, among other things, to use all loan proceeds solely as working capital for his business. After that, Lelievre directed the EIDL funds into a bank account that he controlled and misappropriated approximately $180,000 for personal expenses, including buying a diamond ring and remodeling his home.
The charge of theft of government property carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes that govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.
Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and ?????? Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General made the announcement. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
