David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that Omar Rajeh, 57, of Hamden, has been sentenced to 15 months in federal prison. U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill handed down the sentence in Bridgeport for defrauding COVID-19 pandemic relief programs of more than $750,000. Rajeh is also required to pay a $2,000 fine and will serve two years of supervised release following his imprisonment.
The court documents reveal that in March 2020, the CARES Act was established to provide financial assistance during the COVID-19 pandemic. This included forgivable loans through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), both overseen by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA).
Rajeh had ownership interests in Mediterranea LLC and M. Café Inc., located in New Haven. He re-registered Al Amir LLC with the State of Connecticut in July 2020 to apply for pandemic loan funding after it was dissolved in 2018.
Between June 2020 and May 2021, Rajeh's businesses obtained approximately $1,057,244 through PPP and EIDL funding with fraudulent applications prepared by his accountant Yasir Hamed. The applications falsely stated that Al Amir LLC was operational as of February 2020 and included inaccurate employee numbers and financial information.
Most funds were used for personal expenses by Rajeh, including overseas transfers and property purchase in North Haven. He also gave about 10 percent of the funds back to Hamed.
Rajeh agreed to pay restitution amounting to $758,279 for fraudulently obtained funds while the government will not pursue $298,965 received legitimately for his restaurant business.
On December 20, 2023, Rajeh pleaded guilty to wire fraud and illegal monetary transactions charges; he must report to prison on October 1.
Hamed pleaded guilty on May 9, 2025; sentencing is pending.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation Division with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher W. Schmeisser.
Fraud involving COVID-19 can be reported via the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or their online complaint form.
