A Culver City restaurateur was sentenced today to 41 months in federal prison for fraudulently obtaining over $4 million in COVID-19 economic-relief loans. Philip Frederick Camino, 46, who owns a hospitality company with properties across California, Tennessee, and Kentucky, was also ordered to pay $4,365,667 in restitution by United States District Judge Fred W. Slaughter. Camino was immediately remanded into federal custody following the hearing.
From April 2020 to April 2021, Camino submitted more than 20 false and fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) and various banks. His applications included inflated employee numbers, fictitious federal tax forms never filed with the IRS, and false certifications regarding the use of loan proceeds.
Camino pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud in August 2024. The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and IRS Criminal Investigation, and prosecuted by Chief Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer L. Waier. This sentencing aligns with the Department of Justice's focus on combating fraud, including efforts by the National Fraud Enforcement Division and President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.