Arroyo Grande couple sentenced to prison for fraud

January 11, 2025

By KAREN VELIE

An Arroyo Grande couple who scammed the federal government out of more than a million dollars were sentenced to multi-year prison terms on Thursday, according to the U.S Attorney’s Office in Hawaii. The couple, Christopher and Erin Mazzei, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering in August.

The court sentenced Erin Mazzei to 27-months in prison while Christopher Mazzei was hit with a three-year sentence.

“When the world was grappling with the unprecedented crisis, my husband, Christopher Mazzei, and I found ourselves facing severe financial distress,” Erin Mazzei wrote in a declaration to the court. “In a moment of extreme panic and desperation, we made the poor decision of submitting COVID Payroll Protection Program loan applications.”

The couple then used the funds to purchase a condo in Hawaii and two SUVs.

The couple agreed to the forfeiture of their home at 1769 Oak Hill Road in Arroyo Grande, their condo in Kapolei Hawaii and $625,993 previously seized from the couple’s financial accounts.

After obtaining $1,365,000 in forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan funds intended for COVID-19 relief for their film production and catering companies, the couple then purchased a condo in Hawaii and two SUVs.

The couple submitted fraudulent loan applications based on false payroll expenses and then spent the funds on personal items.

On April 13, 2020, Christopher Mazzei applied for a PPP loan for Gusto on the Go catering claiming he was the only owner of the San Luis Obispo based company, which he reported had 27 employees. However, Christopher Mazzei’s mother was the registered owner of Gusto on the Go, which the state of California suspended on Oct. 1, 2020.

On April 20, 2020, the couple applied for a PPP loan for Better Half Entertainment claiming they had 12 employees, did not own any other businesses and would not be applying for any other PPP loans, none of which was accurate. The couple provided the bank with false payroll records.

In 2020, the couple applied for and received eight PPP loans for three businesses: Gusto on the Go catering in San Luis Obispo, Better Half Entertainment in SLO and Better Half Entertainment in Beverly Hills.

“The Mazzeis perpetrated a gross fraud to obtain critical resources intended for members of our community experiencing devastating hardships as a result of the pandemic,” said United States Attorney Clare E. Connors. “The sentences appropriately condemn their conduct, and our office remains committed to bringing these prosecutions to ensure accountability for such bad acts and to protect the public fisc.”

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