FL Pastor, Son Accused Of Stealing $8M In COVID Relief Money: Report

FLORIDA — A Florida pastor and his son were charged this week nearly two years after authorities said their family fraudulently obtained more than $8 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds and tried to use the money to buy a house, according to an NBC News report.

Evan Edwards and his son, Josh, were taken into custody Wednesday, five months after a separate NBC News report detailed the scam and questioned why the Edwards family of New Smyrna Beach had not been charged.

According to court documents, Evan Edwards, his wife Mary Jane Edwards, daughter Joy Edwards, and Josh Edwards were accused of defrauding the Small Business Administration by submitting a fraudulent loan application seeking funds from the Paycheck Protection Program.

Specifically, Josh Edwards submitted an application on behalf of ASLAN International Ministry Inc., an organization he claimed had 486 employees and a monthly payroll of $2.7 million, NBC News reported, citing a federal forfeiture complaint. On the application, Josh Edwards said the funds would be used to cover payroll, rent, and utilities.

ASLAN International was ultimately approved for an $8.4 million loan.

An investigation by federal authorities later discovered the man listed on the loan application as the ministry’s accountant suffered from dementia and hadn’t done any work for the organization since 2017, NBC reported.

Once the relief money was obtained, federal officials said the Edwards family attempted to purchase a $3.7 million luxury home in a private community near Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando.

Florida police officers pulled over the family’s Mercedes SUV in September 2020. A search of the vehicle found bags of shredded documents and suitcases filled with financial records, according. to NBC. The family's electronic devices were also placed in bags designed to block radio frequencies and prevent authorities from tracking them.

Six months later, a judge ordered the forfeiture of the $8.4 million received by the family after federal officials claimed it was proceeds from bank fraud and money laundering offenses.