Ten Individuals Charged with $9 Million Federal Loan Fraud

Summary

Press release of the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia, dated August 15, 2025. Ten individuals face federal charges stemming from a fraud and money laundering operation targeting SBA loan programs including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and Paycheck Protection Program; two of the defendants are also charged with laundering proceeds of a fraudulent unemployment insurance scheme. The release says that between November 2020 and June 2023 David Nathaniel Black, Jr. and others allegedly used real companies' information to submit false applications and obtained over $9 million in loans. Black was charged with 17 counts of wire fraud, 17 counts of aggravated identity theft and over 100 counts of money laundering. The release notes that the indictment contains only charges.

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PRESS RELEASE


Ten Individuals Charged with $9 Million
Federal Loan Fraud and Money
Laundering
Friday, August 15, 2025

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Georgia

ATLANTA – Ten individuals face federal charges stemming from a fraud and money
laundering operation that targeted government loan programs offered by the U.S. Small
Business Administration, including the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and
Paycheck Protection Program. In addition, two of the defendants were charged with
laundering the proceeds of a fraudulent unemployment insurance scheme.

“Fraud schemes, like the ones perpetrated by these defendants, stole valuable resources
meant to assist small businesses and citizens during difficult times,” said United States
Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to prosecuting
and punishing cold-hearted criminals who target government aid programs for their
personal gain.”

“PPP loans were intended to provide critical relief to small businesses,” said FBI Atlanta
Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown. “FBI Atlanta and our law enforcement partners will
continue to aggressively pursue anyone who exploited the pandemic as a means to
enrich themselves.”

“An important mission of the Office of Inspector General is to investigate allegations of
unemployment insurance fraud targeting state workforce agencies. We will continue to
work with our law enforcement partners to investigate these types of allegations,” stated
Mathew Broadhurst, Special Agent-in-Charge, Southeast Region, U.S. Department of
Labor, Office of Inspector General.

According to U.S. Attorney Hertzberg, the indictment, and other information presented
in court: Between November 2020 and June 2023, David Nathaniel Black, Jr. and others
used real companies’ information to submit unauthorized and false Economic Injury
Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) applications. The loan
applications allegedly included false information about the companies, such as the
number of employees, the need for the loan, the intended use of the funds, average
monthly payroll, and gross revenue. The applications were supported by fraudulent
documents, including false tax records, bank statements, and payroll. In addition, the
defendants used stolen identification information belonging to the owners or officers of
the companies to submit the applications without their knowledge. In total, the
defendants allegedly obtained over $9 million in fraudulent loans.

After the loans were obtained, the defendants allegedly conducted cash withdrawals
and transferred funds, sometimes using the funds to purchase luxury items. For
example, Black used fraud proceeds for the following expenditures:

   •   $200,000 for a 2022 Bentley Bentayga;
   •   $350,000 for a 2020 McLaren 720S convertible;
   •   $142,680 for the down payment of a 2023 Mercedes Benz G-Class Wagon; and
   •   $180,645 to pay the annual rent for a luxury home.

David Nathaniel Black, Jr., 31, of Newnan, Georgia, was charged with 17 counts of wire
fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment per count, and 17
counts of aggravated identity theft, which carries a mandatory, consecutive term of
imprisonment of two years per count. Black was also charged with over 100 counts of
money laundering, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment per
count.

In addition to Black, the following individuals were charged with multiple counts of
money laundering:

   •   Rashad Avery, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia;
   •   Tara Batson, 31, of Atlanta, Georgia;
   •   Chris Elvins Constant, 25, of Ft. Pierce, Florida;
   •   Nicole Cooley, 35, of Baltimore, Maryland;
   •   Reginald Douglas, 32, of Atlanta, Georgia;
   •   Yvenord Guerilus, 24, of Miami, Florida;
   •   Carson Merice, 25, of Miami, Florida;
   •   Rise Robinson, 36, of Atlanta, Georgia; and
   •   George Thompson, 33, of Atlanta, Georgia.

Black and Constant are also charged with money laundering conspiracy, which carries a
maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment, for allegedly laundering proceeds from a
fraudulent unemployment insurance scheme.
Members of the public are reminded that the indictment only contains charges. The
defendants are presumed innocent of the charges, and it will be the government’s
burden to prove the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department
of Labor, Office of Inspector General.

Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Connors and Sarah E. Klapman are prosecuting
the case.

Nine of the defendants appeared in federal court this week following their arrests. If you
know Rise Robinson’s whereabouts or have information that may lead to her arrest,
please contact the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 800-CALL-FBI.

On May 17, 2021, the Department of Justice established the COVID-19 Fraud
Enforcement Task Force to marshal the Department’s resources in partnership with
agencies across government to enhance efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-
related fraud. The Task Force bolsters efforts to investigate and prosecute the most
culpable domestic and international criminal actors and assists agencies tasked with
administering relief programs to prevent fraud by, among other methods, augmenting
and incorporating existing coordination mechanisms, identifying resources and
techniques to uncover fraudulent actors and their schemes, and sharing and harnessing
information and insights gained from prior enforcement efforts. For more information
on the Department’s response to the pandemic, please
visit https://www.justice.gov/coronavirus.

Anyone with information about allegations of attempted fraud involving COVID-19 can
report it by calling the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud
(NCDF) Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form
at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office
at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6185. The Internet address for the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia is http://www.justice.gov/usao-
ndga.

Updated August 15, 2025

Topics
CORONAVIRUS
DISASTER FRAUD

FINANCIAL FRAUD

Components
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
USAO - Georgia, Northern


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