Fresno man pleads guilty to committing $144,000 in COVID-19 fraud

By ONME Newswire

FRESNO, Calif. — Henry Ellard Jr., 39, of Fresno, pleaded guilty last week to stealing $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, in July 2020, Ellard created Baptiste Ellard LLC. He then caused Baptiste Ellard LLC to apply for and receive $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money from the Small Business Administration (SBA). Ellard falsely represented to the SBA that Baptiste Ellard LLC had 10 employees, an annual payroll of more than $695,000, and that he would use the loan proceeds for business expenses. However, Ellard knew the company had no employees, no annual payroll, and no real operations and as such, the company was ineligible for PPP loans. Ellard subsequently used $144,000 of the relief money for personal expenses, including restaurants, bars, airfare, hotels, clothing, and golf.

This case is the product of an investigation by the U.S. Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Arelis M. Clemente are prosecuting the case.

Ellard is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2025. Ellard faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and fine of $250,000. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force, which is one of the interagency COVID-19 fraud strike forces established by the United States Department of Justice. The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California, and focuses on large-scale, multistate, and egregious pandemic relief fraud. The strike force uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.