A New Hampshire man was sentenced to 15 months in prison on Thursday for using over $1 million in fraudulently obtained federal COVID-19 relief funds to purchase a golf course, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire announced.
Michael Kirouac, 38, of Pembroke, pleaded guilty in October 2025 to one count of wire fraud, according to court documents. U.S. District Judge Joseph Laplante likewise sentenced Kirouac to one year of supervised release.
“The defendant stole over a million dollars from taxpayers amidst one of the worst health and economic crises in a century,” said U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan. “This office will continue to vigilantly investigate and prosecute those who defraud pandemic relief programs.”
The funds Kirouac misappropriated were part of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, established under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act passed by Congress during the early stages of the pandemic. The CARES Act included provisions for the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and expanded the SBA’s EIDL program to provide financial assistance to businesses and individuals affected by the economic fallout of COVID-19.
Prosecutors stated that Kirouac owned or controlled four companies – HK Manchester, HK Loudon, HK Hudson, and HK Pelham – and applied for and received over $1 million in EIDL loans on their behalf. He falsely certified that the loan proceeds would be used solely as working capital and would not be used for personal expenses or business relocation.
Beginning in 2021, Kirouac sought to purchase a golf course but was unable to secure financing through traditional lenders. He then used approximately $600,000 in EIDL funds intended for HK Manchester and HK Loudon to acquire the Angus Lea Golf Course in Hillsborough, New Hampshire. He also misused funds obtained for HK Pelham.
In a separate instance, Kirouac obtained a $260,500 EIDL loan for HK Hudson despite having already agreed to sell the company to a third party. He failed to disclose this pending sale to the Minor Business Administration (SBA) when applying for the loan.
The investigation was led by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Office of the Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigations, and the SBA’s Office of the Inspector General, with assistance from the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section.
Service Federal Credit Union filed a collections lawsuit against Kirouac in Merrimack County Superior Court in July 2024, according to court records.
