California Man Pierre-Canel Pleads Guilty to PPP Loan Scam

A Los Angeles man with ties to Randolph, Massachusetts has been brought to justice for his role in a brazen PPP loan scam.

Rindal Pierre-Canel, 30, pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud on June 24, 2025, and now faces sentencing on October 1, 2025.

Between March 2021 and May 2021, Pierre-Canel submitted three fraudulent applications seeking over $50,000 in PPP funds, using the stolen personal identifying information of a victim in one of the applications.

The submissions included false representations about the existence and income of businesses, as well as false tax documents in support of these false claims.

Pierre-Canel used the funds he received from the fraudulent PPP loan applications on personal expenses, including flights to California and purchases of designer clothing.

The charges of wire fraud each provide for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Sullivan is prosecuting the case, while United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England, announced the guilty plea.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s prosecution of fraud schemes that exploit the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), having prosecuted over 150 defendants in more than 95 criminal cases since the inception of the CARES Act.

The Justice Department has seized over $75 million in cash proceeds derived from fraudulently obtained PPP funds, as well as numerous real estate properties and luxury items purchased with such proceeds.

The investigation into Pierre-Canel’s crimes was a collaborative effort between the U.S. Department of Labor, the Cambridge and Hermosa Beach Police Departments, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.