United States v. Eric Shibley — W.D. Wash., No. CR20-0174-JCC

Case summary

Eric Shibley was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington at Seattle, No. CR20-174-JCC, before Judge John C. Coughenour. The indictment returned October 15, 2020 sets out the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program under the CARES Act. A later defense motion records that he was charged with 15 counts of fraud related to a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID relief funds, was found guilty on all counts following a jury trial, and was sentenced to 48 months of custody with three years of supervised release, with $1,438,000 in restitution ordered. A government motion gives the sentencing date as March 8, 2022. Supervision began in May 2024.

Case at a glance

What was Shibley charged with?

Fifteen counts of fraud, charged by indictment on October 15, 2020. The indictment opens with descriptions of the Paycheck Protection Program, under which interest and principal could be forgiven if proceeds were spent on allowable expenses, and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, under which the CARES Act authorized SBA loans of up to $2 million to eligible small businesses.

What was the sentence?

Forty-eight months of custody with three years of supervised release, imposed on March 8, 2022, with $1,438,000 in restitution. A 2026 defense motion states that supervised release began on May 29, 2024, that there have been no violations, and that the restitution has been fully paid as a result of the forfeiture of his home.

What forfeiture was ordered?

A 2022 filing records that the indictment sought forfeiture of five specific monetary seizures traceable to the alleged fraud, and that following the verdict the court ordered the forfeiture of all seized funds, beginning with $49,500.86 seized on or about May 29, 2020.

Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.