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United States of America v. Jesse El-Ghoul
Date: 01-20-2026
Case Number: 25-cr-40028
Judge: Denise J. Casper
Court: United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Worcester County)
Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office in Worcester
Defendant's Attorney: James E. McCall
Description:
Worcester, Massachusetts, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with theft of government money, bank fraud, and money laundering.
Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster, Mass. and owed back taxes for the business. On March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863, payable to Affordable Motor Group into his business bank account. The check had been issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company, based on its 2021 tax return, and the check had been forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company.
In the days after depositing the check, El-Ghoul returned to the bank and bought cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000 payable to shell companies and to a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.
The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transactions, whichever is greater. 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.
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, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster, Mass. and owed back taxes for the business. On March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863, payable to Affordable Motor Group into his business bank account. The check had been issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company, based on its 2021 tax return, and the check had been forged and altered to be payable to El-Ghoul’s company.
In the days after depositing the check, El-Ghoul returned to the bank and bought cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643 and $425,000 payable to shell companies and to a law firm in connection with a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.
The charge of theft of government funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. The charge of bank fraud provides for a sentence of up to 30 years in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. The charges of money laundering each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $500,000 or twice the amount of money involved in the laundering transactions, whichever is greater. 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.
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, Chief of the Securities, Financial & Cyber Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.
Outcome:
The Defendant elected to plead guilty.
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
Comments:
About This Case
What was the outcome of United States of America v. Jesse El-Ghoul?
The outcome was: The Defendant elected to plead guilty.
Which court heard United States of America v. Jesse El-Ghoul?
This case was heard in United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts (Worcester County), MA. The presiding judge was Denise J. Casper.
Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. Jesse El-Ghoul?
Plaintiff's attorney: United States District Attorney’s Office in Worcester. Defendant's attorney: James E. McCall.
When was United States of America v. Jesse El-Ghoul decided?
This case was decided on January 20, 2026.