Pastor’s $3.5M COVID Relief Fraud Unveiled
Rudolph Brooks, a 48-year-old pastor from Maryland, has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for defrauding the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) of over $3.5 million. Along with his prison term, Brooks will undergo 2 years of supervised release and is required to forfeit assets, including several properties in Maryland. His conviction comes after he admitted to misusing the PPP funds for personal gain.
Between April 2020 and September 2021, Brooks, the founder and senior pastor of Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries in Washington, D.C., engaged in fraudulent activities to obtain PPP loans. By falsifying payroll and employee information, he secured funds for businesses he controlled, including a car dealership and his church. The misappropriated funds were used for personal luxuries such as a Tesla Model 3, high-end retail purchases, and other extravagant expenses.
The PPP was established under the CARES Act in March 2020 to aid individuals and businesses impacted by the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brooks’ case was part of a broader federal crackdown on pandemic-related fraud, involving the FBI and IRS. His sentencing reflects ongoing efforts by the District of Maryland Strike Force to tackle financial misconduct associated with COVID-19 relief programs.
And his family.
Many people will use this mans action, as an excuse to not serve the True and Living God. But, only God is perfect, not man. We may be more and more like Him, as we get older, in Him,, but not yet arrived into perfection,, as His is. We all need to study to show ourselves approved, unto Him, as we renew our minds, into His ways of thinking and doing, as He does, or would do in each situation. May our Lord soon return to find a body, looking for Him, and His perfection.