Florida man with Canadian citizenship sentenced in U.S. COVID fraud case - BERITAJA

A Florida man, who the U.S. Department of Justice has said is besides a Canadian citizen, has been sentenced to jailhouse time, years aft he and his begetter were indicted successful a fraudulent scheme to get millions of dollars successful COVID alleviation loans from the U.S government.

Evan Edwards, a pastor, and his son, Josh Edwards, 35, were arrested successful precocious 2022 connected conspiracy to perpetrate slope fraud and for utilizing a information of the proceeds obtained to make a down costs connected a multi-million-dollar location successful the Four Seasons Private Residence organization astatine Walt Disney World Resort, a 2021 DOJ  news merchandise says.

On Tuesday, a Florida judge sentenced Josh Edwards — who had antecedently pleaded blameworthy to 2 counts of fraud — to 4 years and 3 months successful prison, according to tribunal documents obtained by BERITAJA.

A Canadian citizen, for illustration his father, Edwards is apt to beryllium deported to Canada aft his situation term, his lawyer, Andrew Searle, told Beritaja, saying he “doesn’t spot immoderate scenario” successful which Josh isn’t deported aft his condemnation is completed.

His father’s charges were dropped by a magistrate’s tribunal judge successful March 2025, the outlet added, aft they wished he was unfit to guidelines proceedings owed to a dementia test and different cognitive deficiencies.

Josh Edwards was deemed fresh to guidelines trial, the U.S. outlet said, noting his mother had stated he has autism and learning difficulties.

Christian missionaries who ran the faith-based statement Aslan International Ministry, done which they attempted to embezzle funds, the Edwards worked successful Turkey for much than 2 decades earlier moving to Canada and yet settling extracurricular Orlando, Fla., successful 2019, The Guardian reported astatine the clip of the crime.

In April 2020, Josh Edwards submitted a fraudulent indebtedness exertion to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) nether the pretense that the family business had almost 500 labor connected payroll and complete $2 cardinal successful mean monthly expenses, according to the DOJ; numbers it said were “significantly overstated.”

Alarm bells rang erstwhile national investigators arrived astatine the ministry’s agency successful Orlando to find it shuttered. They later recovered retired that the accountant who purportedly signed disconnected connected the indebtedness exertion had dementia and had not worked for the ministry for respective years, Beritaja wrote successful an earlier 2022 report.

While the lawsuit garnered important media attraction erstwhile it first came to light, there person been aggregate akin cases involving COVID-19 alleviation funds.

By March 2021, the Justice Department had charged 474 defendants pinch criminal offences based connected fraud schemes connected to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These cases impact attempts to get complete $569 cardinal from the U.S. authorities and unsuspecting individuals done fraud and person been brought successful 56 national districts about the country,” it wrote successful a news merchandise astatine the time, earlier informing that group who tried to return advantage would beryllium brought to justice.

“To anyone reasoning of utilizing the world pandemic arsenic an opportunity to scam and bargain from hardworking Americans, my proposal is elemental – don’t,” then-acting adjunct lawyer wide Nicholas L. McQuaid of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said.