A pastor, Evan Edwards, and his son Josh have been arrested in the United States for fraudulently obtaining more than $8 million in (N3.5 billion)COVID-19 relief funds and using some of the money to buy a luxury home.
According to NBC News, both men were arrested on Wednesday, December 14, at their home in New Smyrna Beach, Florida after federal prosecutors established that the family defrauded the government out of $8.4 million in PPP loans.
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the pastor, 60, and his 30-year-old son had applied for $6 million to cover payroll, rent and utilities for his family’s ministry in Florida, writing that the nonprofit employed nearly 500 people and had a monthly payroll of more than $2.7 million,
But instead, the pastor who administrates ASLAN International Ministry, a faith-based charity — whose mission was to “communicate Christian love in doctrine and service to the poor” used $3.7 million of the fund to purchase a luxury home near Walt Disney World.
It was later established that the claims made by the pastor and his son were false, prompting the federal prosecutor to initiate a case against them.
The father and son are each charged with six counts, including visa fraud, bank fraud and conspiracy to commit bank fraud, related to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
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