Cesar Campos-Reyes Pleads Guilty in $866,500 COVID Relief Fraud and Unlawful Employment Scheme
Updated
Updated · WTVM · Sep 10
Cesar Campos-Reyes Pleads Guilty in $866,500 COVID Relief Fraud and Unlawful Employment Scheme
3 articles · Updated · WTVM · Sep 10
Summary
Campos-Reyes, 52, pleaded guilty Sept. 9 to wire fraud, money laundering and unlawful employment of aliens in a federal case centered on pandemic-relief abuse.
Court records say he fraudulently obtained about $866,500 through PPP and EIDL programs in May 2020, then used $262,145.20 a month later to buy property in Opelika instead of for business relief.
Up to July 15, 2025, he also knowingly hired unauthorized workers at multiple restaurants he owned or operated, according to admissions tied to the plea.
He now faces up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud, 10 years for money laundering and six months for unlawful employment, plus fines and forfeiture, with sentencing still to be scheduled.
The plea grew out of a wider multiagency Alabama investigation that earlier executed 14 search warrants across six counties and detained more than 40 undocumented individuals.
How did an Alabama restaurant owner steal nearly a million in federal relief before a massive multi-county raid exposed his crimes?
With nationwide federal crackdowns intensifying, how many more businesses are secretly operating using stolen COVID-19 relief money and unauthorized labor?
What hidden connections exist between stolen pandemic relief funds and the illegal drugs and firearms seized during the sweeping Alabama raids?