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Home Court filings USA v. Thomas et al (GAND 279866)

Case docket

USA v. Thomas et al — Bern Benoit filings, N.D. Ga., Atlanta Division

USA v. Thomas et al (GAND 279866) — 38 court filings in the archive from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, filed between August 4, 2020 and December 3, 2025. Among them: 5 orders, 5 motions and 3 minute entries.

Related docket: USA v. Thomas et al (GAND 279864) — 14 public filings from the same matter under a different docket; 1 document appears on both pages.

Case facts

CourtU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia
Filings38 public filings
Filed2020-08-04 – 2025-12-03
Document typesorders (5), motions (5), minute entries (3), waivers (2), declarations (2), docket entry (1)
Original PDFs38 of 38

Case summary

Bern Benoit, also known as Burn Benoit, was defendant 4 in United States v. Thomas et al., No. 1:20-cr-00296 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division. A later filing describes the original 30-count indictment as charging five defendants, including Benoit, with a scheme to obtain fraudulent loans from the Small Business Administration under the Paycheck Protection Program. He pleaded guilty to count 7 of the indictment, conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1349, with the offense ended May 2020. Judge J. P. Boulee imposed judgment on September 8, 2021, entered September 10: 27 months' imprisonment, five years of supervised release, a $100 assessment, a waived fine and $1,105,217 restitution. Supervised-release jurisdiction was transferred out of the district in December 2025.

Case at a glance

Defendant(s)Bern Benoit, a/k/a Burn Benoit, defendant 4 in the case captioned USA v. Thomas et al. This page carries Bern Benoit's judgment and no other defendant's
Court and docketU.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, Atlanta Division, No. 1:20-CR-296-JPB-CMS-4 (stamped -JPB-AJB on the 2021 forfeiture orders), Judge J. P. Boulee
ProgramPaycheck Protection Program (PPP), set out in the indictment and named in the later filings
ChargesConspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, 18 U.S.C. § 1349, count 7 of the indictment (offense ended May 2020)
Outcome and sentencePleaded guilty to count 7; sentence imposed September 8, 2021 and judgment entered September 10, 2021: 27 months' imprisonment, five years of supervised release, $100 special assessment, fine and cost of incarceration waived, $1,105,217 restitution ordered pursuant to the plea agreement with interest waived; forfeiture under 18 U.S.C. § 982(a)(2)
Status checked2026-09-23 · against the court docket and DOJ press releases through 2026-09-22

What was Benoit sentenced to?

A total term of twenty-seven months as to count 7 of the indictment, followed by five years of supervised release on the same count. A December 2025 transfer-of-jurisdiction request records the offense of conviction as conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud and the sentence as 27 months.

What restitution and forfeiture were ordered?

Restitution of $1,105,217, ordered pursuant to the plea agreement: $830,417 to Cross River Bank and $274,800 to the U.S. Small Business Administration, with the interest requirement waived. A consent preliminary order of forfeiture entered March 12, 2021 forfeited $431,408.28 seized from a JPMorgan Chase account held in the name of Transportation Management Services, Inc., together with further funds.

How large was the prosecution?

A March 2022 filing describes the second superseding indictment as alleging 18 separate conspiracies arising from 14 loans made by five financial institutions under the PPP. At a 2024 hearing the prosecutor told the court that 24 defendants had been charged and 20 of them had pleaded guilty.

Summary written from the documents on this page; every sentence is sourced.

Filings

38 public filings from this case, in filing-date order.

  1. Defendant Information Sheet as to Bern BenoitPDF
  2. Non-Surety Bond Entered as to Bern Benoit in amount of $ 15,000 — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 52, N.D. Ga.)PDF
  3. ORDER Setting Conditions of Release as to Bern BenoitOrder · PDF
  4. Rule 5(c)(3) Documents Received from USDC CD/CA, Los Angeles as to Bern Benoit — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 56, N.D. Ga.)Docket entry · PDF
  5. Doc #1Dkt. 56.1 · PDF
  6. Doc #2Dkt. 56.2 · PDF
  7. Doc #3Dkt. 56.3 · PDF
  8. Doc #5Dkt. 56.4 · PDF
  9. Doc #6Waiver · Dkt. 56.5 · PDF
  10. Doc #7Dkt. 56.6 · PDF
  11. Doc #8Waiver · Dkt. 56.7 · PDF
  12. Amended Bond Order CDCADkt. 56.8 · PDF
  13. Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 58, N.D. Ga.)Motion · PDF
  14. Order as to Bern Benoit (4), for good cause shown — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 59, N.D. Ga.)Order · PDF
  15. Second Motion for Extension of Time Unopposed Motion — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 70, N.D. Ga.)PDF
  16. Third Motion for Extension of Time Unopposed Motion — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 79, N.D. Ga.)PDF
  17. Fourth Motion for Extension of Time Unopposed Motion — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 90, N.D. Ga.)PDF
  18. PROPOSED CONSENT ORDER Preliminary Order of Forfeiture as to Bern Benoit — USA v. Thomas et al (Dkt. 99)PDF
  19. Minute Sheet for proceedings held in Open Court on 03/11/2021 — USA v. Thomas et al. (Benoit) (N.D. Ga., 2021-03-11)Minute entry · PDF
  20. CONSENT PRELIMINARY ORDER OF FORFEITURE as to Bern BenoitPDF
  21. ORDER CERTIFYING CASE READY FOR TRIAL as to Bern BenoitOrder · PDF
  22. Minute Sheet — Open Court Proceedings (4/1/2021) — USA v. Thomas et al. (Benoit) (N.D. Ga.)Minute entry · PDF
  23. Notice of Filing Declaration of Publication as to Bern Benoit filed by USA — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 122, N.D. Ga.)Declaration · PDF
  24. Motion For Final Order of Forfeiture by USA as to Bern Benoit — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 123, N.D. Ga.)Motion · PDF
  25. Text of Proposed OrderProposed order · Dkt. 123.1 · PDF
  26. Final Order and Judgment of Forfeiture filed as to Bern Benoit (4) — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 125, N.D. Ga.)Order · PDF
  27. Unopposed Motion for Extension of Time — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 126, N.D. Ga.)Motion · PDF
  28. Order granting 126 Motion for Continuance of Sentencing as to Bern Benoit — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 130, N.D. Ga.)Order · PDF
  29. First Sentencing Memorandum as to Bern Benoit filed by Bern Benoit — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 378, N.D. Ga.)PDF
  30. Affidavit Defendant Bern Benoit's Character Witnesses - Ronnie L. Breaux — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 378-1, N.D. Ga.)Declaration · PDF
  31. Minute Sheet for proceedings held in Open Court on 09/08/2021 — USA v. Thomas et al. (Benoit) (N.D. Ga., 2021-09-08)Minute entry · PDF
  32. Judgment and Commitment as to Bern Benoit (4) — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 380, N.D. Ga.)Judgment · PDF
  33. Return of Service Executed by USMS on 2/18/2022 as to Bern Benoit.…Dkt. 425 · PDF
  34. Return of Service Executed by USMS on 2/18/2022 as to Bern Benoit.…Dkt. 426 · PDF
  35. PETITION AND ORDER to Modify Conditions of Supervised Release as to Bern Benoit…Motion · Dkt. 1190 · PDF
  36. PETITION AND ORDER to Modify Conditions of Supervised Release as to Bern Benoit…Motion · Dkt. 1198 · PDF
  37. Supervised Release Jurisdiction Transferred to USDC - Central — USA v. Thomas et al. (Dkt. 1203, N.D. Ga.)PDF
  38. Transfer of Jurisdiction PaperworkPDF

Other cases in the archive from U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia.

Court, dates and docket numbers are as recorded on the filings.

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