Businessman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Pandemic Relief Funds
Summary
A U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts release of September 19, 2024 says Jesse Lelievre, 41, of North Andover, pleaded guilty to theft of government property for misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds. Lelievre owned and managed Paramount Plumbing & Heating LLC and in 2021 obtained an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) for the company after agreeing to use the proceeds solely as working capital. The release says Lelievre directed the EIDL funds into a bank account under Lelievre's control and misappropriated approximately $180,000 for personal expenses, including a diamond ring and a home remodel. Lelievre was charged in July 2024. Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 19, 2024; the charge carries up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Press Release Businessman Pleads Guilty to Theft of Pandemic Relief Funds Thursday, September 19, 2024 For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts BOSTON – A Massachusetts businessman pleaded guilty yesterday to misappropriating COVID-19 relief funds for personal use. Jesse Lelievre, 41, of North Andover, pleaded guilty to theft of government property. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for Dec. 19, 2024. Lelievre was charged in July 2024. Lelievre was the owner and manager of Paramount Plumbing & Heating LLC a Massachusetts company that provided plumbing, heating, and related services. In 2021, Lelievre applied for a loan from the U.S. Small Business Administration (“SBA”) on behalf of Paramount Plumbing & Heating. Lelievre obtained the loan through the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program, which provided loans to small businesses that suffered substantial economic injury due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To obtain the loan, Lelievre entered into a loan agreement with the SBA in which he agreed, among other things, to use all loan proceeds solely as working capital for his business. Thereafter, Lelievre directed the EIDL funds into a bank account that he controlled and misappropriated approximately $180,000 for personal expenses, including to buy a diamond ring and to remodel his home. The charge of theft of government property provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case. Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Christopher Algieri, Special Agent in Charge of the Northeast Field Office of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General made the announcement. Substantial assistance was provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General, Boston Region. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Markham of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case. On May 17, 2021, the Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force to marshal the resources of the Department of Justice in partnership with agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus . Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form . Updated September 19, 2024 Topic COVID-Related Fraud Component USAO - Massachusetts Related Content Press Release Former Veterans Affairs Employee Pleads Guilty to Fraudulently Obtaining Multiple Covid-19 Benefits BOSTON – A Brockton woman, who was employed as a Medical Technician with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pleaded guilty on July 16, 2026 in federal court in Boston... July 20, 2026 Press Release Rockland Congruity LLC Agrees to Pay $2.6 Million to Resolve Allegations of PPP Loan Fraud BOSTON – Rockland Congruity LLC (Rockland), a Delaware limited liability company with a principal place of business in Pembroke, Mass., has agreed to pay $2,687,700 to resolve allegations that it... July 15, 2026 Press Release Lynn Man Sentenced for Receiving Stolen Government Money and Making False Statements BOSTON – A Lynn man was sentenced today in federal court in Boston for receiving stolen Social Security benefits and making false statements. July 14, 2026
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