FLORIDA – A man and his son living in Florida have been indicted for fraudulently obtaining over $8 million In COVID-19 relief funds, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida (USAO) has announced.
United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announced the unsealing of a six-count indictment charging Evan Edwards, 64, of New Smyrna Beach, and Joshua Edwards, 30, of New Smyrna Beach, with federal offenses related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act and visa fraud.
According to the USAO, Evan and Joshua Edwards are each charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and visa fraud. Joshua Edwards is also charged with making a false statement to a lending institution, the USAO said.
If convicted on the conspiracy to commit bank fraud and bank fraud charges, each faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison on each count. If convicted on the visa fraud charges, each faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison per count.
Joshua Edwards also faces a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment on the false statement offense, the USAO said.
The indictment also notifies the defendants that the United States intends to forfeit any property constituting, or derived from, proceeds obtained directly or indirectly as a result of these violations. The United States previously obtained seizure warrants and recovered more than $8 million in proceeds from the charged criminal conduct, the USAO said.
According to the indictment, beginning approximately April 3, 2020, and continuing through about September 17, 2020, Evan and Joshua Edwards allegedly conspired to commit bank fraud and are alleged to have committed bank fraud by submitting a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan application to an FDIC insured lending institution on behalf of Aslan International Ministry, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation that purportedly provided religious services.
In the loan application, the defendants allegedly significantly overstated the number of employees and average monthly payroll for Aslan International Ministry, Inc., claiming that it had almost 500 employees and over $2 million in average monthly payroll expenses, the USAO said.
The defendants also are alleged to have falsely certified in the loan application that the PPP funds would be used to maintain payroll and for other authorized purposes. Based on the alleged false representations made in the loan application, the defendants received into their bank account approximately $8,417,200 in PPP loan funds, a portion of which they used to make a down payment for the attempted purchase of a multi-million-dollar residence for themselves, the USAO said.
Additionally, in June 2022, Evan and Joshua Edwards reportedly each made a materially false statement in certain immigration documents, including their Form I-485 Applications to Register as Permanent Resident or Adjust Status.
An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed one or more violations of federal criminal law, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
This case is being investigated by the U.S. Secret Service, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, and the New Smyrna Beach Police Department. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kara M. Wick.
