Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Leominster man has admitted to charges related to the theft of more than $1.3 million through a forged tax refund check scheme. Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to one count each of theft of government funds and bank fraud, as well as four counts of money laundering.
According to prosecutors, El-Ghoul owned Affordable Motor Group in Leominster and had outstanding tax debts for the business. On March 29, 2024, he deposited a $1,344,863 U.S. Treasury tax refund check—originally issued to a Canadian company for its 2021 tax return—into his business account after altering it to be payable to his company.
Following the deposit, El-Ghoul used cashier’s checks totaling over $1 million to move funds into shell companies and a law firm associated with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.
He was arrested on June 6, 2025, following a criminal complaint and was indicted by a federal grand jury two months later. Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, 2026 before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper.
The charge of theft of government funds carries up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine; bank fraud is punishable by up to thirty years in prison and a $1 million fine; each money laundering charge carries up to twenty years imprisonment and fines up to $500,000 or twice the laundered amount. The actual sentence will be determined according to federal guidelines.
“United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Thomas Demeo, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, Boston Field Office; Michael Carpenter, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, OIG; and Nicholas Bucciarelli , Acting Inspector in Charge of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Boston Division made the announcement today.” Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Kosto is prosecuting the case.
