Profiles · Oversight
- Type
- Person
- Role
- Oversight and enforcement
- Programs
- PPP, EIDL
- Updated
The profile
Acting Assistant Chief in the DOJ Fraud Section, listed by DOJ among the prosecutors of Blueacorn co-founder Stephanie Hockridge.
Identity and role
Philip Trout — Acting Assistant Chief, Fraud Section, U.S. Department of Justice Criminal Division. DOJ's November 2025 sentencing release lists him among those who prosecuted the case against Stephanie Hockridge in United States v. Reis & Hockridge (the Blueacorn founders), N.D. Tex.
Biography / career arc
Career federal prosecutor in the Criminal Division's Fraud Section, the unit that ran DOJ's PPP/EIDL criminal docket.
Pandemic-relief / PPP-EIDL role
Credited as Acting Assistant Chief on the prosecution that produced the June 2025 conviction of Stephanie Hockridge and the guilty plea of Nathan Reis (DOJ releases). DOJ's November 21, 2025 release on Hockridge's sentence, 10 years in prison and more than $63 million in restitution, again names Trout as Acting Assistant Chief (DOJ release, Nov. 21, 2025).
The prosecution of Blueacorn's founders came after PPP had closed and after congressional investigators had identified Blueacorn as a major fintech facilitator. DOJ's June 2025 release said Hockridge co-founded Blueacorn in April 2020 and that the trial evidence showed fabricated payroll records, tax documents, and bank statements used to obtain larger PPP loans. The Fraud Section was led by Glenn Leon (see his profile).
Where they are now (2025–2026)
No exit to private practice or industry identified in the public record.
Sources held in this archive
Original source documents and archived captures
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, Hockridge sentencing press release Nov. 21, 2025
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, "Founder of Lender Service Provider Convicted for Role in Multimillion-Dollar PPP Fraud...
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, "Founder of Lender Service Provider Pleads Guilty..." Aug. 11, 2025
Sources
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, "Founder of Lender Service Provider Convicted for Role in Multimillion-Dollar PPP Fraud Scheme" (June 23, 2025): DOJ Office of Public Affairs, Blueacorn conviction press release June 23, 2025 (original: justice.gov · stored capture)
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, "Co-Founders of Paycheck Protection Program Lender Service Provider Charged..." (Nov. 21, 2024): https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/co-founders-paycheck-protection-program-lender-service-provider-charged-covid-19-relief local copy
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, "Founder of Lender Service Provider Pleads Guilty..." (Aug. 11, 2025): DOJ Office of Public Affairs, Reis guilty-plea press release Aug. 11, 2025 (original: justice.gov · stored capture)
- DOJ Office of Public Affairs, Hockridge sentencing press release (Nov. 21, 2025): DOJ Office of Public Affairs, Hockridge sentencing press release Nov. 21, 2025 (original: justice.gov · stored capture)