Nevada man sentenced in Oregon for stealing loans from Small Business Administration

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Nevada man has been sentenced to more than two years in federal prison for stealing about $163,000 in COVID-19 relief funds in Oregon.

Former Las Vegas resident Justin David Goulet was sentenced to 27 months in prison and three years of supervised release on Thursday.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, the 36-year-old man has a “lengthy criminal history.”

Goulet was released from Oregon State Prison in late December 2020, after serving time for felony forgery and theft. Later in April 2021, he concocted a plan to steal money that Congress had allocated toward the Small Business Administration for companies affected by the pandemic.

Officials said he applied for two Economic Injury Disaster Loans and was approved for one, receiving $163,100.

Goulet supported his applications by registering a straw company named Statement Venture Group, LLC, claiming he worked as an independent contractor in 2019 when he was incarcerated. He also falsified the tax filings he sent to the SBA, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

“Goulet used most of the $163,000 he obtained on travel, living expenses, cars, and illegal drugs,” USAO said.

In early February 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland indicted Goulet for wire fraud and he pleaded guilty in August.

In addition to his prison sentence and supervised release, Goulet has been ordered to return the money he received from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan.