Henry Ellard Jr., the son of former Fresno State and NFL wide receiver Henry Ellard, pleaded guilty Wednesday to stealing $144,000 in COVID-19 relief money. 

In July 2020, Ellard Jr. created Baptiste Ellard LLC. Ellard Jr. later applied for and received $144,000 from the Small Business Administration. 

Ellard Jr. falsely told the Small Business Administration that Baptiste Ellard LLC had 10 employees and a payroll nearing $700,000. However, the company didn’t have any employees, no annual payroll and no operations. 

Instead of using the funds for business purposes, Ellard Jr. used them for airfare, bars, clothing, golf, hotels and restaurants, according to court documents.

Ellard Jr’s case is part of the California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force. According to a news release form the U.S. Department of Justice, this program “uses prosecutor-led, and data analyst-driven, teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief money.”

Ellard Jr. will be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2025, and faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.