LEOMINSTER — A Leominster man pleaded guilty in federal court after prosecutors say he cashed a forged U.S. Treasury tax refund check worth $1,355,863 — then tried to move the money out through cashier’s checks, shell companies, and a real-estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.

The defendant, Jesse El-Ghoul, 31, of Leominster, pleaded guilty to one count of theft of government funds, one count of bank fraud, and four counts of money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts.

Prosecutors say El-Ghoul owned and operated Affordable Motor Group in Leominster, and that the business owed back taxes.

Federal prosecutors say that on March 29, 2024, El-Ghoul deposited a tax refund check for $1,344,863 into his business bank account. Prosecutors say the check was issued by the U.S. Treasury to a Canadian company based on that company’s 2021 tax return — but was allegedly forged and altered to appear payable to El-Ghoul’s company.

In the days after that deposit, prosecutors say El-Ghoul returned to the bank and purchased cashier’s checks for $235,280, $223,591, $202,643, and $425,000, payable to shell companies and to a law firm connected to a third-party real estate transaction in eastern Massachusetts.

Sentencing is scheduled for April 16, 2026, before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Denise J. Casper, prosecutors said.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, El-Ghoul was arrested and charged by criminal complaint on June 6, 2025, and later indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025.