A federal jury in San Diego has convicted Leronce Suel, a California restaurant owner, on multiple charges, including wire fraud, conspiracy, and tax crimes related to schemes defrauding COVID-19 relief programs and filing false tax returns, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today.
Suel, the majority owner of Rockstar Dough LLC and Chicken Feed LLC, which operated restaurants in the San Diego area, including Streetcar Merchants in North Park, conspired to underreport over $1.7 million in gross receipts on Rockstar Dough’s 2020 corporate tax return and COVID-19 relief applications, according to the DOJ.
His businesses fraudulently secured $1.77 million in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants; programs designed to aid those financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Suel and a co-conspirator misappropriated the relief funds by making large cash withdrawals, purchasing a home in Arkansas, and storing over $2.4 million in cash in Suel’s bedroom.