South Georgia pastor indicted, accused of using CARES Act funds to buy Mercedes

CAMDEN COUNTY, Ga. — A Camden County pastor is accused of applying for CARES Act funds and using a portion of the money to buy a Mercedes.

Mack Devon Knight, 45, of Kingsland, has been indicted on five counts by a grand jury, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Georgia.

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In the indictment, Knight is accused of “lying to the Small Business Administration (SBA) in connection with applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDLs),” according to the release.

If convicted, Knight could face up to 30 years in prison and financial penalties, followed by a period of supervised release.

Knight, who authorities say also represents himself as a mortician, restaurateur and tax preparer, applied for the loans in February and March 2021 on behalf of Knight’s Tax Services and Daddy Earl’s Kitchen.

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Knight is accused of falsely representing ”that the businesses each had hundreds of thousands of dollars of gross revenue prior to the COVID-19 pandemic,” and then he “made and transmitted to the SBA a falsified bank document to deceive the SBA into approving one of Knight’s EIDL applications,” the release detailed.

After receiving $149,900 on behalf of Knight’s Tax Services, Knight used some of the money to buy a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan, according to the indictment.

“Funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Security (CARES) Act was provided to help small businesses survive pandemic-related losses,” Acting U.S. Attorney David H. Estes said in the release. “In coordination with our law enforcement partners, we will hold accountable those unscrupulous actors who attempt to swindle these funds for their own enrichment.”

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

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