Traditional Christian Family Values

Pastor Joshua Edwards, his wife May, and his son Evan have been arrested arrested for executing a fraud to net them $8 million dollars in Covid relief funds.

Well, at least they did it as a family:

A family operating as a foreign ministry in Orlando is accused of fraudulently obtaining more than $8.4 million in federal coronavirus relief aid and high-tailing it back to Canada when U.S. Secret Service agents became aware they were attempting to buy a multi-million dollar home near Disney World.

A company called ASLAN International Ministry applied for funds as part of the federal CARES Act dedicated to helping small businesses and nonprofits struggling during the coronavirus pandemic, known as the Paycheck Protection Program. More than $300 billion of CARES Act funding was set aside to grant forgivable small business loans to help pay employees and other business expenses.

Federal documents show Joshua Edwards applied for a PPP loan in April on behalf of ASLAN International Ministries. U.S. Secret Service agents allege he used fabricated and/or fake documents to obtain more than $8.4 million in PPP funding.

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The ministry was founded in Ohio in 2005 and in 2018 filed an application to conduct business in Florida as a foreign nonprofit corporation. Joshua Edwards was listed as the chairman and president of the organization, while his son, Evan Edwards, was listed as the vice president. Joy Edwards, Evan Edwards’ daughter, was listed in the documents as a secretary and director, documents show. Joshua Edwards’ wife, May Edwards, was also listed on court documents.

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In July, $868,250 was transferred to an account in the name of First American Title Insurance Company. According to the affidavit, the money was to purchase a $3.7 million home on Symphony Grove Drive in Orlando. Mary Edwards was the only person on the purchase contract, according to the title company.

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Agents reviewed the ministry’s website and believe it contained generic religious information taken from other websites. The websites were taken down around Sept. 12. Agents believe it’s because the family realized they were being investigated by the Secret Service and the Edmonton Police Service in Canada.

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When the family was stopped on Sept. 17 by a Florida Highway Patrol trooper on I-75 for speeding, Josh, Evan, Mary and Joy were all inside. They told the trooper they were going to Texas for a conference but could not give any specific details, investigators say.

A federal search warrant was issued for the vehicle. Inside the car, agents found the U.S. Secret Service agent’s card and a letter from the Department of Homeland Security notifying the family their accounts had been frozen.

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Agents also found evidence the Edwards had applied for a similar COVID-19 relief loan in Canada and received $2,000 each.

All four of the Edwards family members are in Canada, where they are also under investigation. The PPP money was seized and recovered.

This is why they should not have outsourced the loans and due diligence to private banks.

Unlike a government agency, the banks made money for each loan that they approved, and investigations were an unwanted cost to be minimized.

It was a criminogenic environment, and rather unsurprisingly, it resulted in a lot of crime.