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Home Court filings United States v. Lee E. Price, III

Case docket

United States v. Lee E. Price, III — PPP case, S.D. Tex., Houston Division

United States v. Lee E. Price, III — PPP case, S.D. Tex., Houston Division — 11 documents in the archive, dated August 3, 2020 to January 13, 2022.

See also: United States v. Lee Price III — the same docket (docket No. 4:20-cr-00522) under another case page, 1 public filings.

Also collected in: PPP Fraud Criminal — assorted filings from several criminal dockets

Case facts

CourtU.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division
Docket numbersNo. 4:20-cr-00522 — main docket · CourtListener dockets 1799071, 1799072
No. 4:20-mj-01366 — magistrate docket (complaint and arrest papers) · CourtListener docket 1787640
Filings11 public filings
Filed2020-08-03 – 2022-01-13
Original PDFs11 of 11

Case summary

This case page collects filings from the prosecution of Lee E. Price, III in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, No. 4:20-cr-00522. A Postal Inspector's affidavit filed August 3, 2020 supported a criminal complaint for false statements to a financial institution, wire fraud, bank fraud and engaging in prohibited monetary transactions, in connection with a scheme targeting the Paycheck Protection Program. A grand jury returned an indictment on October 21, 2020. The sentencing hearing transcript records that Price pleaded guilty to two counts of wire fraud and three counts of engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, and that the court committed him to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons for 110 months on counts one through five, concurrent, with three years of supervised release and restitution of $1,689,952. Judgment was entered December 1, 2021.

Case at a glance

Defendant(s)Lee E. Price, III
Court and docketU.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, No. 4:20-cr-00522
DistrictSouthern District of Texas prosecutions →
ProgramPaycheck Protection Program (PPP)
ChargesWire fraud (counts 1–2) and engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property (counts 3–5), as stated at sentencing; the criminal complaint affidavit listed 18 U.S.C. §§ 1014, 1343, 1344 and 1957
Outcome and sentencePleaded guilty; sentenced to 110 months on counts 1–5, concurrent, three years of supervised release, $500 special assessment, restitution of $1,689,952; judgment entered December 1, 2021
Counts of convictionPleaded guilty on September 20, 2021 to counts 1-5: counts 1 and 2, wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1343, offenses ended 05/03/2020 and 06/23/2020; counts 3, 4 and 5, engaging in monetary transactions in criminally derived property, 18 U.S.C. § 1957, ended 05/21/2020, 06/26/2020 and 06/27/2020 (judgment imposed November 29, 2021, filed December 1, 2021 and stamped entered December 3, 2021, p. 1)
Sentence imposed110 months on each of counts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, concurrent; remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal; FCI Bastrop recommended (p. 2); three years of supervised release on each count, concurrent (p. 3); pronounced in the same terms at sentencing (transcript, Dkt. 118, pp. 16 and 18)
Restitution$1,689,952.00: Harvest Small Business Finance $752,452.00 and U.S. Small Business Administration $937,500.00; the interest requirement is not waived (p. 5); payment to begin immediately, the greater of $25 per quarter or 50% of wages earned while imprisoned, then $250 monthly beginning 30 days after release (p. 6). At sentencing the court described the SBA amount as "for the loan that you received through the Radius Bank" (transcript p. 20)
Fine and assessmentNo fine (fine column blank, p. 5; at sentencing the court found no ability to pay a fine in addition to restitution and waived it, transcript p. 20); special assessment $500.00, $100 on each of counts 1 through 5 (p. 5)
Forfeiture"As set forth in the order of forfeiture executed by this Court on November 29, 2021" (p. 6); that order is not among the documents on this page. At sentencing the court directed that the real property at 10718 Staghill Drive be described as "encumbered" rather than forfeited, limited to a lien in favor of the United States in the amount of $50,000 (transcript pp. 24-25)
Status checked2026-09-23 · against DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22; court docket not yet read

Who receives the restitution?

The court ordered restitution totaling $1,689,952: $752,452 to Harvest Bank and $937,500 to the Small Business Administration for the loan received through Radius Bank.

What did the applications seek?

The criminal complaint affidavit states that a PPP application submitted in or around May 2020 on behalf of Price Enterprises requested $937,500, that the supporting IRS Forms 941 listed 50 employees and total wages of $1,444,332, and that Bank 1 funded the $937,500 on or about June 26, 2020.

How many applications were involved?

The sentencing hearing transcript states that five fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications were submitted, that two were funded, and that Price received $1,689,952 in loan proceeds.

Defendants

CourtListener keeps a separate docket for each defendant under this docket number. Their filings are merged into the docket below; each row names the CourtListener docket it came from.

Docket

11 documents in docket-entry order; attachments follow their entry. Gaps name the entries we do not have.

No. 4:20-cr-00522 — main docket

  1. Criminal Complaint Affidavit — US v. PriceEntry 1 · CourtListener docket 1799072
  2. —Entries 2–21 are not in the archive
  3. undatedOrder of Temporary Detention Pending Hearing as to Lee Price, III Final Hearing -… — PPP Fraud Criminal (Dkt. 22)Entry 22 · CourtListener docket 1799072
  4. —Entries 23–26 are not in the archive
  5. Indictment — US v. PriceEntry 27 · CourtListener docket 1799071
  6. —Entries 28–60 are not in the archive
  7. Supplemental Findings of Fact — US v. PriceEntry 61 · CourtListener docket 1799072
  8. —Entries 62–63 are not in the archive
  9. Pro Se Letter to Court — US v. PriceEntry 64 · CourtListener docket 1799072
  10. —Entries 65–66 are not in the archive
  11. Bond Hearing Transcript — US v. PriceEntry 67 · CourtListener docket 1799072
  12. —Entries 68–112 are not in the archive
  13. Judgment in a Criminal Case — US v. PriceEntry 113 · CourtListener docket 1799072
  14. —Entries 114–117 are not in the archive
  15. Sentencing Hearing Transcript — US v. PriceEntry 118 · CourtListener docket 1799072

No. 4:20-mj-01366 — magistrate docket (complaint and arrest papers)

  1. Criminal Complaint — U.S. v. Lee Price IIIEntry 1 · CourtListener docket 1787640
  2. —Entries 2–14 are not in the archive
  3. undatedAgreed MOTION Extension of Time to Indict by USA as to Lee Price, III, filed — PPP Fraud Criminal (Dkt. 15)Entry 15 · CourtListener docket 1787640
  4. undatedProposed Order — PPP Fraud Criminal (Dkt. 15.1)Entry 15, attachment 1 · CourtListener docket 1787640

Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.

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