FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) — Henry Ellard Jr., son of retired NFL star Henry Ellard, pleaded guilty to stealing COVID-19 relief money, the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of California announced.

In July 2020, Ellard formed Baptiste Ellard LLC, according to court records.

Ellard then caused the LLC to apply for and receive $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money from the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Court documents allege Ellard misrepresented to the SBA that his LLC had 10 employees and an annual payroll of more than $695,000.

Ellard claimed that he would use the loan for business expenses, but the company had no employees, no annual payroll, and no actual operations, making the company ineligible for PPP loans.

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Documents show Ellard used $144,000 of the relief money for personal expenses, including restaurants, bars, plane tickets, hotels, clothing and golf.

Ellard is scheduled to be sentenced on February 24, 2025.

If convicted, Ellard faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

The actual sentence will be determined by the court after considering applicable legal factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.