Amid the remnants of the pandemic's economic strife, a local Tigard restaurant owner has entered a guilty plea on charges of money laundering. Bryan Ochoa Diaz, 32, owner of Casa Colima Vancouver, Inc., was implicated in misusing federal COVID-19 relief funds meant to support his family's business through the crisis. The court documents lay bare how Ochoa Diaz diverged from the straight path, by shuffling portions of a $350,000 U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) disaster relief loan into personal accounts.
Acting as a lifeline cast by the government, the loan disbursed on August 16, 2021, was, by design, anchored in strict conditions. Borrowers, including Ochoa Diaz, were entrusted with the responsibility to deploy the funds for their businesses as an economic salve; personal endeavors were strictly off the chart. Nevertheless, mere hours after the SBA had transferred the aid into Casa Colima's bank account, prosecutors stated that Ochoa Diaz siphoned $100,000 into his parents' personal accounts, violating the terms of the loan. In an investigative report by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Oregon, it was revealed that the misdirected funds were swiftly wired to a mortgage company for a mortgage on his parents' home.
It is worth noting that Ochoa Diaz, who also serves as a reserve officer with the U.S. Coast Guard, opted for a straight curtain call to the judicial process. Bypassing the grand jury, he made his first court appearance on September 5, 2025, and subsequently pleaded guilty to the single charge of money laundering. According to the Department of Justice, his confession came alongside the repayment of his deeds; Ochoa Diaz repaid the $350,000 in full to the SBA.
With judgment awaiting at the courthouse steps on December 15, 2025, Ochoa Diaz faces the looming shadow of a possible 10-year prison sentence and up to $250,000 in fines. Bringing the gavel down on such transgressions, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Cardani and Meredith Bateman led the prosecution, with aid from the SBA's Office of Inspector General and the Coast Guard Investigative Service. The announcement of his plea emphasizes the ongoing scrutiny and the government's tight grip on the lawful use of disaster-related funds.
As the community continues to heal from the financial disruptions of the pandemic, the Department of Justice remains vigilant against fraudulent exploitation of COVID-19 relief efforts. They encourage the public to lean forward with any information regarding suspected fraud by contacting the Justice Department’s National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) Hotline or filling out the NCDF Web Complaint Form.
