BAD FAITH

Florida Pastor, Son Busted Over Alleged $8M COVID Cash Scam

They allegedly tried to use almost half of the money to buy a luxury house near Disney World.

A Florida pastor and his son were arrested on Wednesday on charges relating to an alleged $8 million COVID relief fraud scheme used to try and buy a luxury house near Disney World. Evan Edwards and his 30-year-old son Josh were taken into custody this week over the case, which began in April 2020 when Josh applied for a Paycheck Protection Loan. The application said his family’s ministry, ASLAN International Ministry, had 486 employees and a $2.7 million payroll. The organization was ultimately granted an $8.4 million loan. But federal investigators later found that the door to their Orlando office was locked and neighboring businesses said no one had ever been seen inside. The man listed on the loan’s application as the company’s accountant also turned out to have dementia and hadn’t worked for the ministry since 2017. In April 2021, a federal judge ordered that the Edwards family forfeit their $8.4 million loan after the government alleged it was the proceeds of money laundering and bank fraud offenses. The complaint also said they had tried to use some of the funds to buy a $3.7 million house at the Four Seasons Private Residences community at Walt Disney World Resort.