February 12, 2025
ATLANTA – A Mitchell County grand jury has indicted 21 residents of Camilla accused of fraudulently obtaining loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program.
The defendants allegedly claimed ownership of non-existent businesses and presented fabricated financial data to support their applications for loans through the program Congress created to help small businesses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
“In the face of an unprecedented global health pandemic, the Paycheck Protection Program was intended to help small business owners keep their doors open and their employees paid,” Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr said Tuesday.
“Those who took advantage of the system to fraudulently obtain funds will be held accountable. We’re committed to protecting taxpayer dollars no matter the amount, and we will continue to fight for our local businesses that are doing things the right way.”
Each defendant received at least one loan of $20,833 as a result of their actions, with some submitting more than one application and receiving a second loan. The total amount that is alleged to have been fraudulently obtained by all 21 defendants is $604,157.
The attorney general’s White Collar and Cyber Crime Unit presented evidence to the grand jury last month. The panel returned 13 separate indictments charging the defendants with theft by taking and false swearing.
The defendants range in age from 22 to 45.
