Case docket
United States v. Aaron Ashcraft — U.S. District Court, E.D. Cal.
United States v. Aaron Ashcraft — 15 court filings in the archive from U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, filed between April 25, 2022 and May 6, 2024. Among them: 2 sentencing memoranda, 2 motions and 2 responses or replies.
See also: Aaron Ashcraft wire and bank fraud case — E.D. Cal., Sacramento — the same docket (docket No. 2:22-cr-00087) under another case page, 30 public filings. Full docket →
Case facts
| Court | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California |
|---|---|
| Filings | 15 public filings |
| Filed | 2022-04-25 – 2024-05-06 |
| Document types | sentencing memoranda (2), motions (2), responses or replies (2), orders (2), information (1), plea agreement (1) |
| Original PDFs | 15 of 15 |
Case summary
Aaron Ashcraft was charged by information on April 25, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California, No. 2:22-cr-00087-KJM. He pleaded guilty to count 1, wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343, and count 4, bank fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1344. The government's sentencing memorandum states that from approximately May 2020 through April 2021 he submitted seven fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications seeking a total of over $1.2 million, and puts the intended loss at approximately $1.98 million. Judgment was imposed December 12, 2022 and entered January 3, 2023: 41 months' imprisonment, 36 months of supervised release, a $200 assessment and restitution of $1,803,461.24. On January 10, 2024 the court reduced the term to 33 months. Motions for compassionate release and reconsideration were denied in 2024.
Case at a glance
| Defendant(s) | Aaron Ashcraft |
|---|---|
| Court and docket | U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, No. 2:22-cr-00087-KJM |
| Program | Paycheck Protection Program (PPP); the restitution payees include the Maine Department of Labor |
| Charges | Wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (count 1, offense ended 06/03/2020); bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1344 (count 4, offense ended 09/13/2017) |
| Outcome and sentence | Pleaded guilty to counts 1 and 4; 41 months' imprisonment and 36 months of supervised release imposed December 12, 2022, reduced to 33 months on January 10, 2024; restitution $1,803,461.24 |
| Counts of conviction | Pleaded guilty to counts 1 and 4 of the information: count 1, wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1343 (Class C felony), offense ended 06/03/2020; count 4, bank fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1344 (Class B felony), offense ended 09/13/2017; counts 2, 3, 5, 6 and 7 dismissed on the motion of the United States (judgment imposed 12/12/2022, filed January 3, 2023, p. 1) |
| Sentence imposed | 41 months on each of counts 1 and 4, concurrent; surrender before 12:00 PM on 2/6/2023 (p. 2); 36 months of supervised release on each count, concurrent (p. 3). By stipulated order of January 10, 2024 the term was reduced under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2) and Amendment 821 to 33 months on each count, concurrent, effective February 1, 2024, all other terms of the judgment remaining in effect (Dkt. 40, p. 3) |
| Restitution | $1,803,461.24 (p. 6), to American Lending Center, LLC, Irvine, CA $174,093.75; Fountainhead SBF, LLC, Lake Mary, FL $153,260.00; Harvest Small Business Finance, Laguna Hills, CA $592,245.00; Maine Department of Labor, Augusta, ME $58,050.00; U.S. Small Business Administration, Denver, CO $45,979.94; Wells Sweeping, LLC, Carmichael, CA $779,832.55 (p. 7); interest waived; while incarcerated at 10% of gross monthly income or $25 per quarter, whichever is greater (p. 6), and on supervised release at least 10% of gross monthly income beginning within 60 days (p. 5) |
| Fine and assessment | Fine $0.00; special assessment $200.00; AVAA and JVTA assessments $0.00 (p. 6) |
| Status checked | 2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read |
What was Ashcraft ordered to pay?
Restitution of $1,803,461.24 and a $200 assessment. The judgment lists the payees as Wells Sweeping, LLC ($779,832.55), Harvest Small Business Finance ($592,245.00), American Lending Center, LLC ($174,093.75), Fountainhead SBF, LLC ($153,260.00), the Maine Department of Labor ($58,050.00) and the U.S. Small Business Administration ($45,979.94).
Why was the sentence reduced?
On a stipulated motion under 18 U.S.C. § 3582(c)(2), the court applied the retroactive zero-point provision of Amendment 821, which lowered the total offense level from 22 to 20 and the guideline range to 33 to 41 months. The term of imprisonment was reduced to 33 months as to each of counts 1 and 4, concurrent, effective February 1, 2024.
What happened to the compassionate release motion?
The court denied it on February 9, 2024, and denied a motion for reconsideration on April 30, 2024.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
15 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
- Information — United States v. Aaron AshcraftInformation · PDF
- Plea Agreement — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Plea agreement · PDF
- Defendant's Sentencing Memorandum — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Sentencing memorandum · PDF
- Government's Sentencing Memorandum — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Sentencing memorandum · PDF
- Judgment in a Criminal Case — United States v. Aaron AshcraftJudgment · PDF
- Defendant's Motion for Compassionate Release — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Motion · PDF
- Stipulation and Order Re: Sentence Reduction — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Stipulation · PDF
- Government's Opposition to Defendant's Motion for Reduction in Sentence — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Response or reply · PDF
- Defendant's Rebuttal to Plaintiff's Opposition to Motion for Compassionate Release — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)PDF
- Order Denying Compassionate Release — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Order · PDF
- Defendant's Memorandum in Support of Motion for Compassionate Release — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)PDF
- Defendant's Motion for Reconsideration — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Motion · PDF
- Government's Opposition to Motion for Reconsideration — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Response or reply · PDF
- Order Denying Motion for Reconsideration — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)Order · PDF
- Defendant's Rebuttal to Government's Opposition to Motion for Reconsideration — United States v. Aaron Ashcraft (E.D. Cal.)PDF
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.