Case docket
United States v. Lee E. Price, III — PPP case, S.D. Tex., Houston Division
United States v. Lee E. Price, III — 7 court filings in the archive from U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, filed between August 3, 2020 and January 13, 2022. Among them: 1 criminal complaint, 1 indictment and 1 judgment.
Case facts
| Court | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division |
|---|---|
| Filings | 7 public filings |
| Filed | 2020-08-03 – 2022-01-13 |
| Document types | criminal complaint (1), indictment (1), judgment (1), transcript (1) |
| Original PDFs | 7 of 7 |
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 docket | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, No. 4:20-cr-00522 |
| District | Southern District of Texas prosecutions → |
| Program | Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) |
| Charges | Wire 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 sentence | Pleaded 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 conviction | Pleaded 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 imposed | 110 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 assessment | No 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 checked | 2026-09-23 · 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.
Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.
Filings
7 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.
- Criminal Complaint Affidavit — US v. PriceCriminal complaint · PDF
- Indictment — US v. PriceIndictment · PDF
- Supplemental Findings of Fact — US v. PricePDF
- Pro Se Letter to Court — US v. PricePDF
- Bond Hearing Transcript — US v. PricePDF
- Judgment in a Criminal Case — US v. PriceJudgment · PDF
- Sentencing Hearing Transcript — US v. PriceTranscript · PDF
Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.