Owner of Local Restaurant Pleads Guilty to Laundering Covid Funds

PORTLAND, Ore.-Bryan Ochoa Diaz, 32, a resident of Tigard, Oregon, pleaded guilty today to money laundering related to proceeds of a government loan issued to his family-owned restaurant.

According to court documents, Ochoa Diaz, acting on behalf of Casa Colima Vancouver, Inc., applied for a U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) loan of $350,000. The loan was part of a Covid era relief program offered by the federal government. The terms of the loan required that funds be used solely as working capital for the company to alleviate economic injury caused by the disaster and that none of the funds would be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.

On August 16, 2021, the SBA transferred $350,000 into Casa Colima's bank account. The next day, Ochoa Diaz misappropriated some of the funds by transferring $100,000 into his parents' personal bank account. Later that same day, Ochoa Diaz wired the $100,000 to a mortgage company to apply to a mortgage his parents had on their home.

Ochoa Diaz is a reserve officer with the U.S. Coast Guard. He was charged by information with one count of money laundering. He made his initial appearance on September 5, 2025, and waived indictment by a grand jury. He pleaded guilty to that charge today and paid $350,000 in full restitution to the SBA.

Ochoa Diaz faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced on December 15, 2025, before a U.S. District Court Judge.

This case was investigated by the SBA, Office of Inspector General, and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. It is being prosecuted by Chris Cardani and Meredith Bateman, Assistant U.S. Attorneys for the District of Oregon.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can report it by calling the Justice Department's National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.