It was one of the strangest Covid fraud cases brought by the Justice Department, with the kind of wild details that seemed ripped from a Hollywood script.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.There was an $8.4 million pandemic relief loan based on records purportedly signed by a dementia-stricken accountant.Bags of shredded documents were discovered in a Mercedes SUV.
Cellphones were found inside pouches specially designed to block radio frequencies to keep them from being tracked.And there were allegations of faked mental health problems that recalled the notorious case of mobster Vincent “The Chin” Gigante.
At the center of it all was a supposed man of God — a Florida-based pastor with an unusual past, who is alleged to have run a sham ministry.The pastor, Evan Edwards, and his son, Josh, were arrested in late 2022 on charges of fraudulently obtaining millions in Covid relief aid and trying to use some of the money to buy a luxury home near Walt Disney World.But their lawyers struggled to communicate with them from the start, and multiple psychiatrists were brought in to examine whether they were truly suffering from mental health problems or were feigning symptoms to avoid a possible prison term.Josh Edwards is taken into custody outside the Edwards family’s home in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., on Dec.
14, 2022.Obtained by NBC NewsMore than three years later, the case has finally come to an end.A judge sentenced Josh Edwards, 35, to four years and three months in prison Tuesday.Josh, a Canadian citizen like his father, is likely to be deported following his prison term, his lawyer said.
He had previously pleaded guilty to two fraud counts.There will be no plea deal or sentencing for the elder Edwards.Charges against Evan were dropped in March 2025 when it was determined that he was incompetent to stand trial.
He was suffering from “moderate to severe dementia and significant and permanent ...