El Salvador Man Sentenced for COVID-19 Fraud

A man from El Salvador is facing deportation after pleading guilty to participating in nearly $1 million worth of COVID-19-related fraud.

On Tuesday, the individual, who identifies as a woman and prefers the name Ruby Corrado, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release. Mr. Corrado entered a guilty plea concerning one count of fraud. His sentencing is scheduled for July 2024.

Previously, Corrado faced multiple charges, including bank fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and failing to file reports regarding foreign bank accounts. Prosecutors dropped several charges in exchange for his guilty plea.

“You have betrayed this country,” the presiding District Judge, Trevor McFadden, stated during the sentencing.

Back in 2020, Corrado applied for two federal COVID-19 relief loans intended for Casa Ruby, a now-defunct nonprofit organization he founded in Washington, D.C., aimed at assisting homeless LGBTQ+ youth. Defense attorneys argued that the Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Paycheck Protection Program loans, totaling $956,215, were deposited into Casa Ruby’s account. However, prosecutors claim Corrado diverted some funds abroad and concealed them from the IRS. In an attempt to evade federal authorities, Corrado fled to El Salvador in 2022.

Before the sentencing, Corrado expressed remorse, admitting to donating at least $200,000 to El Salvador with intentions to expand Casa Ruby’s services there.

Judge McFadden sharply criticized Corrado and expressed skepticism about his claims of having attempted to establish Casa Ruby in El Salvador, indicating that there was no evidence demonstrating any such efforts. Furthermore, he ordered Corrado to fully repay the Small Business Administration.

Defense attorneys requested that Corrado, identifying as a “transgender woman,” serve her sentence in a local jail or potentially at home, citing concerns over being placed in a male facility based on biological sex. Policies change how federal detention considers gender identity, resulting in significantly dangerous situations for transgender inmates.

While it remains uncertain where Corrado will serve his time—men’s or women’s facility—he has been held in a men’s prison since his arrest in March 2024. Judge McFadden indicated that deportation to El Salvador seems imminent once Corrado completes the sentence.

Additionally, Corrado is facing a civil lawsuit for allegedly failing to compensate Casa Ruby employees, which had been on hold pending criminal proceedings but may now be resumed following his conviction.