ATLANTA — A man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a scheme to steal Paycheck Protection Program funds intended to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jerry Baptiste, 47, is the last of 20 defendants charged in the scheme to be sentenced.
Baptiste was sentenced to six and a half years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
He also has been ordered to pay $830,417 in restitution.
On October 29, 2024, Baptiste pleaded guilty to money laundering.
“This sentencing wraps up an exhaustive investigation into a fraud scheme that stole emergency funds from businesses and individuals that desperately needed them during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Paul Brown, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta said. “The FBI will make every effort to ensure federal funds are used as intended and punish anyone who would steal from our government.”
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All the defendants in Baptiste’s case have now been convicted and sentenced, with punishments ranging from probation to 15 years imprisonment:
On June 16, 2021, Darrell Thomas pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud and money laundering. On May 9, 2022, Thomas was sentenced to 180 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $13,206,752.10 in restitution.
On June 17, 2021, Andre Lee Gaines pleaded guilty to the charge of making a false statement. On October 5, 2021, Gaines was sentenced to five years’ probation and ordered to pay $806,710 in restitution.
On September 1, 2020, Kahlil Gibran Green pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. On January 14, 2021, Green was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $830,000 in restitution.
On March 11, 2021, Bern Benoit pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. On September 8, 2021, Benoit was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,105,217 in restitution.
On February 15, 2024, Carla Jackson was found guilty of money laundering by jury verdict. On May 16, 2024, Jackson was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment followed by two years of supervised release and ordered to pay $335,238.22 in restitution.
On August 1, 2022, Ricky Dixon pleaded guilty to the charges of aggravated identity theft and conspiracy to commit money laundering. On January 25, 2023, Dixon was sentenced to 100 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $4,320,928.31 in restitution.
On July 27, 2022, Meghan Thomas pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On May 23, 2023, Thomas was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $2,381,760.35 in restitution.
On March 15, 2022, Jesika Blakely pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. On February 8, 2023, Blakely was sentenced to 36 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $5,348,498.89 in restitution.
On March 5, 2022, Amanda Christian pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On September 13, 2022, Christian was sentenced to 41 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $835,542 in restitution.
On June 29, 2022, Dwan Ashong pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit money laundering. On October 31, 2022, Ashong was sentenced to 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $3,604,807 in restitution.
On January 31, 2024, John Gaines pleaded guilty to the charge of money laundering. On June 26, 2024, Gaines was sentenced to 63 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $806,710 in restitution.
On November 2, 2021, Charles Petty pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. On February 25, 2022, Petty was sentenced to 46 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay $830,417 in restitution.
On April 14, 2022, Derek Parker pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On August 31, 2022, Parker was sentenced to 18 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $163,620.40 in restitution.
On May 25, 2022, David Belgrave II pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud. On August 25, 2022, Belgrave was sentenced to nine months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, with 18 months on home detention, and ordered to pay $877,000 in restitution.
On September 29, 2021, Charles Hill IV pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On January 12, 2022, Hill was sentenced to five years’ probation, with 27 months on home detention, and ordered to pay $1,004,805 in restitution.
On May 25, 2022, Ryan Whittley pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On August 29, 2022, Whittley was sentenced to 21 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $797,275 in restitution.
On August 24, 2022, El Hadj Sall pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On November 29, 2022, Sall was sentenced to 27 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $973,585 in restitution.
On April 27, 2022, Rick McDuffie pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. On August 23, 2022, McDuffie was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by one year of supervised release and ordered to pay $5,125 in restitution.
On February 15, 2024, Teldrin Foster was found guilty of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, conspiracy to commit bank and wire fraud, wire fraud, bank fraud, making a false statement to a federally insured bank, and money laundering by jury verdict. On June 25, 2024, Foster was sentenced to 121 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $9,606,627.35 in restitution.
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