San Diego, CA – Leronce Suel, the majority owner of Rockstar Dough LLC and Chicken Feed LLC, was sentenced to three and a half years in federal prison for defrauding COVID-19 relief programs and filing false tax returns, the Justice Department announced on April 11, 2025.
Suel, 44, was convicted in September 2024 by a federal jury of wire fraud, tax evasion, and other related charges. His conviction stems from schemes to conceal income and fraudulently obtain pandemic-related financial assistance.
Court documents show that Suel, along with a co-conspirator, underreported over $1.7 million in gross receipts on Rockstar Dough’s 2020 corporate tax return and during applications for federal COVID-19 relief programs. Suel’s businesses received a total of $1,773,245 in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants designed to help businesses impacted by the pandemic.
Instead of using the funds as intended, Suel used the relief money for large cash withdrawals, purchasing a home in Arkansas, and stashing over $2.4 million in cash in his bedroom. Additionally, Suel failed to file required tax returns for 2018 and 2019 and neglected to report millions in cash income from his businesses between 2020 and 2023.
Suel also filed false tax returns for several years, including personal filings for 2016 and 2017 with fabricated losses and depreciable assets. In addition to his prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Ruth Bermudez Montenegro ordered Suel to pay $1,773,245 in restitution to the Small Business Administration and forfeit $1,466,918 in seized cash.
The Justice Department confirmed that a hearing for restitution to the IRS is scheduled for June 6, 2025.
This case highlights the importance of maintaining the integrity of relief programs intended to support businesses during crises and the consequences of exploiting those resources for personal gain.
