Georgia pastor, activist accused of COVID relief fraud used money for new Mercedes, DOJ says

3 years ago 209

Pastor Mack Knight during an interrogation with News4Jax successful 2020.

BRUNSWICK, Ga. – A South Georgia pastor who’s besides a mortician, restaurateur, activistic and taxation preparer has been accused of COVID-19 betterment assistance fraud, according to the Department of Justice.

Mack Knight, 45, of Kingsland is charged successful a five-count indictment that accuses Knight of lying to the Small Business Administration (SBA) successful transportation with applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs), according to David H. Estes, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia.

Knight present faces up to 30 years successful situation and imaginable fiscal penalties.

“Funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Security (CARES) Act was provided to assistance tiny businesses past pandemic-related losses,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Estes. “In coordination with our instrumentality enforcement partners, we volition clasp accountable those unscrupulous actors who effort to swindle these funds for their ain enrichment.”

According to the indictment, successful February and March 2021, Knight applied for wealth connected behalf of 2 Camden County businesses: Knight’s Tax Services and Daddy Earl’s Kitchen. Those applications falsely claimed that the businesses each had hundreds of thousands of dollars of gross gross anterior to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the DOJ.

After receiving astir $150,000, Knight utilized portion of the funds to bargain a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, according to the indictment.

In the past, Knight has been outspoken astir societal justness issues. News4Jax interviewed him earlier helium traveled to Minnesota to connection enactment and promote bid pursuing the decease of George Floyd and he protested successful the aftermath of Ahmaud Arbery’s murder.

He was besides the spokesperson for a household mourning the decease of Tony Green, who was changeable and killed by a Kingsland constabulary officer.

Attorney John Phillips, not affiliated with the case, is acquainted with Knight’s assemblage activism.

“When you person aggregate businesses, you person to tally each 1 right, and this CARES Act wealth wasn’t escaped money. It wasn’t instrumentality it and bash what you privation with it. It was relief,” helium said.

A inheritance cheque shows Knight was antecedently sentenced to a Georgia situation connected charges of fraud and theft.

To study a COVID-19-related fraud strategy oregon suspicious activity, interaction the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) by calling the NCDF Hotline astatine 1-866-720-5721 oregon via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at: justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.