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United States of America v. Philip Frederick Camino

Date: 05-28-2026

Case Number: 8:24-cr-00074

Judge: Fred W. Slaughter

Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California (Orange County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States District Attorney's Office in Santa Ana

Defendant's Attorney: Mike Freedman and Tarra Laughton

Description:

Santa Ana, California, criminal defense lawyers represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Reported by

Philip Frederick Camino, 46, of Culver City, California, submitted and caused to be submitted false and fraudulent applications to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and banks for PPP and EIDL loans.

In these applications, Camino made false statements, including inflating the number of employees, providing fictitious federal tax forms that were never filed with the IRS, and falsely certifying that the loan proceeds would be used for permissible business purposes. In total, Camino submitted more than 20 fraudulent loan applications from which he obtained more than $4 million.

Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated this matter.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Chief Assistant United States Attorney and Chief of the Criminal Division Jennifer L. Waier prosecuted this case.

The Defendant elected to plead guilty and was sentenced to 41 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million COVID-19 economic-relief loans.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

About This Case

What was the outcome of United States of America v. Philip Frederick Camino?

The outcome was: The Defendant elected to plead guilty and was sentenced to 41 months in prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million COVID-19 economic-relief loans.

Which court heard United States of America v. Philip Frederick Camino?

This case was heard in United States District Court for the Central District of California (Orange County), CA. The presiding judge was Fred W. Slaughter.

Who were the attorneys in United States of America v. Philip Frederick Camino?

Plaintiff's attorney: United States District Attorney's Office in Santa Ana. Defendant's attorney: Mike Freedman and Tarra Laughton.

When was United States of America v. Philip Frederick Camino decided?

This case was decided on May 28, 2026.

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Kent Morlan, Esq.
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