BOSTON — A Leominster man pleaded guilty in federal court yesterday to stealing more than $1.35 million by depositing a forged tax refund check and laundering the money through shell companies and a real estate transaction.
According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, pleaded guilty on Thursday, Jan. 15, 2025, to theft of government funds, bank fraud, and four counts of money laundering. U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper scheduled sentencing for April 16, 2026.
El-Ghoul was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 6, 2025, and was later indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025…