Seventeen Mitchell County residents have been convicted after prosecutors said they used nonexistent businesses and forged tax documents to obtain nearly $500,000 through the Paycheck Protection Program.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr’s office announced the convictions Sept. 30, saying all 17 defendants pleaded guilty in Mitchell County Superior Court to felony theft by taking, false swearing or both. Each was ordered to repay the money received.
The federal Paycheck Protection Program was created under the CARES Act to help small businesses cover payroll and other expenses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Applicants certified that economic uncertainty made the loans necessary and that the money would be used for eligible business costs.
Investigators found the defendants did not own the businesses identified in their applications and submitted forged tax records to support their requests. The restitution orders listed by the state add up to $499,992.
De’Antre Jackson, 31, of Camilla, received the only prison term among the 17. A judge sentenced him to 10 years, with two years in prison and the remainder on probation, and ordered him to repay $41,666 and complete 200 hours of community service.
Six other defendants received 10 years of probation, 200 community-service hours and $41,666 restitution orders. Ten received 10 years of probation, the same community-service requirement and $20,833 restitution orders.
The convictions stem from a larger case announced in February 2025, when a Mitchell County grand jury indicted 21 people across 13 indictments. Prosecutors then alleged the group obtained $604,157, with each person receiving at least one $20,833 loan and some receiving a second.
Carr’s office said cases against four remaining defendants are active. Assistant Attorney General Charles Van Keuren prosecuted the convictions after an investigation by the Attorney General’s Prosecution Division.
