A South Georgia pastor faces decades in prison after he’s accused of stealing thousands of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds, some of which authorities said he used to buy a new luxury car.
A grand jury handed down a five-count indictment against Mack Devon Knight, 45, of Kingsland, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia. The indictment alleges Knight, who’s also a restaurateur and tax preparer, lied to the Small Business Administration to fraudulently obtain $149,900 in CARES Act funding.
He applied for the funds in February and March, authorities said, and falsely claimed that his businesses had raked in “hundreds of thousands of dollars of gross revenue” before the COVID-19 pandemic. Knight then sent falsified bank statements to the SBA so it would approve his loan application, according to the indictment.
After receiving the money, authorities said the pastor used some of it to purchase a Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
If convicted, Knight faces up to 30 years in prison and hefty fines.
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