Sean Eric Thompson, 44, formerly of Pace, Florida, has pleaded guilty in federal court to multiple charges including wire fraud, making false statements, money laundering, and bankruptcy fraud. The charges are related to a scheme involving fraudulent applications for COVID-19 relief funds and misleading statements during bankruptcy proceedings. The announcement was made by John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida.
U.S. Attorney Heekin stated: “My office is hard at work with our federal law enforcement partners to track down and prosecute every single instance of fraud against the U.S. Government during the COVID-19 pandemic. We will continue to aggressively prosecute these crimes and will use every available means to recover the U.S. taxpayer monies stolen by the fraudsters to enrich themselves.”
According to court documents, in May 2021 Thompson was a partial owner of a business operating a brewery and restaurant when he submitted an application for Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) support from the Small Business Administration (SBA). The RRF program was designed to provide financial assistance to food service businesses impacted by the pandemic. In his application and supporting documents, Thompson falsely claimed that his business had suffered over $1.1 million in losses due to COVID-19. As a result of these claims, on May 25, 2021, the SBA disbursed $1,128,233 into an account controlled by Thompson.
Investigators found that Thompson used these funds for personal expenses rather than for legitimate business needs as required by the program guidelines. Between August and November 2021, he transferred $150,000 from these funds into his personal investment account.
In August 2023 Thompson filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy but failed to disclose both his receipt of RRF funds and his interest in another business on official forms submitted as part of his petition. During a September 2023 meeting with creditors under oath he also denied that this second business ever held assets—a statement investigators later determined was false. Further fraudulent activity occurred in February 2024 when altered financial statements were submitted on his behalf during ongoing bankruptcy proceedings.
Thompson faces significant penalties: up to 20 years’ imprisonment plus three years supervised release per count of wire fraud; up to five years’ imprisonment plus one year supervised release per count of making false statements; up to ten years’ imprisonment plus three years supervised release per count of money laundering; and up to five years’ imprisonment plus three years supervised release per count of bankruptcy fraud at sentencing.
The investigation involved collaboration between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and SBA officials. Assistant United States Attorney Eric W. Welch is prosecuting the case.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is among ninety-four offices nationwide responsible for representing federal interests under direction from the Attorney General. Additional information about public court records can be found at U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website or through http://www.justice.gov/usao/fln/index.html.
