Monterey chef spent $4 million in federal aid on property in Belize, indictment says

Chef Dory Ford presents Arctic char at A Taste of Colorado Festival in 2015. The chef was indicted in federal court for allegedly misusing pandemic-related business funds.

A chef known for his work at some of Monterey Bay’s most popular travel destinations was indicted Thursday in federal court for allegedly misusing $4 million in pandemic-related loans and grants.

Chef Dory Ford, 57, was indicted on six charges that include bank fraud, wire fraud and money laundering all involving federal business loans. According to the indictment, returned by a federal grand jury in U.S. District Court in San Jose, Ford provided false responses to secure federal funds meant to help small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to the indictment, Ford applied for the funds on behalf of his Monterey catering company Aqua Terra, but instead used them to buy  property in Belize on the coast of Central America; to invest in the stock market; and to fund a mushroom business in Santa Cruz.

Before founding Aqua Terra, which once held a valuable catering contract with the Monterey Conference Center, according to Edible Monterey, Ford was the executive chef at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, developing a focus on sustainable seafood. He later became executive chef at Big Sur’s luxurious Ventana Inn and Spa.

In 2014, Edible Monterey Bay reported on Ford’s plans to expand to Denver, where he took over a historic building in the city’s entertainment district to open a restaurant and live music bar. Eater Denver reported the venue closed in 2017.

Ford is currently the president of Santa Cruz mushroom supplement company MycoSci. In a 2022 interview with Edible Monterey Bay, Ford suggested the company was gearing up to enter the market for psilocybin mushrooms when it became legal to do so.

According to the indictment, Ford misrepresented facts and concealed information while filing for funds from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, the Restaurant Revitalization Fund and the Paycheck Protection Program, meant to help small-business owners keep their business afloat and maintain employee income during the halt in restaurant activity during the peak of the pandemic.

The Chronicle was unable to reach Ford for comment in time for publication.

If found guilty, Ford faces a maximum statutory sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum fine of $1 million for bank fraud. The statutory penalties for wire fraud include a maximum 20-year sentence and a $250,000 fine per count. Ford also faces a 10-year maximum statutory prison sentence and a $250,00 fine for both money laundering counts. If convicted, the actual sentence would be determined by federal sentencing guidelines.

Ford is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 31.

Reach Mario Cortez: [email protected]