Ex-GM at Dog House Grill in Fresno sentenced for defrauding investors, family
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- Former Dog House GM Matthew Billingsley sentenced to 7.5 years for $30M fraud
- Judge set Jan 5, 2026 restitution hearing to resolve investor claims, calculate repayment
- Defense cited failed $7M cannabis investment and partial repayments in mitigation
The former general manager of a popular Fresno restaurant and bar was sentenced to 7.5 years Monday for orchestrating a scheme to defraud investors and lenders of more than $30 million.
Matthew Billingsley, a 40-year-old who worked at the Dog House Grill apologized to his victims during his sentencing hearing. He pleaded guilty in August to one count of wire fraud.
Some of his victims lost their life savings in a loan scheme that he used from June 2018 to February 2023.
“I always believed the investment I made would pay out, but it never did,” Billinglsey said . “And I got deeper and deeper into debt.”
According to court documents, Billingsley used a phony brokerage account with allegedly millions of dollars in assets to serve as collateral for loans. He also deceived investors and lenders about why he needed the money and instead, used it to pay down previous loans and for his personal benefit.
Billingsley even used a Fresno restaurant owner’s name and signature on a profit-sharing agreement that he created and forged. He leveraged that to get a loan from a lender, according to court documents.
His defense attorney, Dan Bacon, argued that one of the factors that caused Billingsley to become desperate for cash was a $7 million investment in a cannabis business that went out of business.
In a bid for leniency, Bacon said Billingsley repaid some of the defrauded investors, including a recent payment of more than $130,000 to several investors. Bacon asked United States District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to give his client no more than five years in prison.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office agreed with the probation department’s recommendation of 11.2 years.
Thurston settled on 7.5 years with the amount of restitution to be determined . Bacon said the amount should be lower than the $12.5 million suggested by the government.
Thurston ordered Bacon and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter to hash out the amount and return to court Jan. 5.
In explaining her sentence, Thurston said she still was puzzled by Billingsley’s reasons for creating what amounted to a Ponzi scheme, where early investors were paid off by funding from new investors.
She suggested that if his investment in the cannabis company didn’t pan out, why not just file for bankruptcy? Why go after lending institutions or private investors with the promise of short-term loans with quick payouts?
“It’s really hard for me to kind of grasp what your motivation was, because as Ms. Gunter pointed out, you come from a family that seems to be incredibly generous to you,” the judge said. “I don’t know what most people make as a general manager of a restaurant, but what you make seems to be that you get the relative’s bonus, because that’s a very good salary that shouldn’t have caused you to need to borrow money from anybody.”
Prosecutor Gunter pointed out that part of Billingsley’s motivation was to maintain a certain status in the community.
“And in order to maintain that business life, he exploited family members, he exploited victims,” Gunter said in court. “And he did that just for him to continue this fraud over a long period of time.”
One of Billingsley’s victims said in a court document that Billingsley told him he was making $20,000 a month as general manager of the Dog House Grill.
Thurston also noted that Billingsley’s uncle paid off $4 million of his debt.
“You have people who care for you, who support you and yet you still find yourself here,” the judge said.
Thurston also ordered Billingsley to receive drug treatment for an addiction to Adderall.
After the hearing, Bacon said he was satisfied with the outcome.
“We are happy with what the court has done. We think it is just and fair under the circumstances,” Bacon said.
Billingsley declined to comment. Several of his family members sat with him in the courtroom.
The judge allowed Billingsley to remain out of custody until Feb. 20 when he must report to Federal Correctional Complex in Lompoc.
One of Billingsley’s victims, Faraz Gill, was in court, but chose not to speak during the hearing. Gill and a partner lost $3 million. Outside of the courthouse, Gill said he had mixed feelings about the sentencing.
“On the one hand he should have received more time for what he did, but then it might have been better if he got a shorter sentence so he can start paying us back,” Gill said. “I have been waiting for three years. And now I am going to have to wait longer.”
This story was originally published December 8, 2025 at 4:04 PM.
