Georgia trucker Roderick Bashon Billingslea, Jr. received a sentence of 30 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his involvement in Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud and illegal trucking operations. According to U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Buchanan, “Billingslea falsified documents to receive PPP funds to operate illegal and unsafe businesses,” as published on the U.S. Attorney’s Office website for the Northern District of Georgia. He not only received a prison sentence but also had to pay $591,668.89 in restitution and the annual cost of his incarceration.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) suspended Billingslea from trucking operations in January 2020 due to safety violations, but he continued to create new trucking firms using fictitious owner data and addresses. He carried out this operation by stealing the corporate names of legitimate organizations and enlisting drivers who were unaware their employer was violating federal regulations. After the drivers committed DOT infractions, Billingslea would move on to another fraudulent business. Billingslea obtained a PPP loan of more than half a million dollars through false representations about the size and legality of his company’s operations, financing this illicit activity.
Special Agent in Charge Frederick D. Houston of the United States Secret Service Atlanta Field Office emphasized the importance of these proceedings, saying, “This case signifies our commitment to protecting citizens and businesses from fraud and identity theft.” In addition, officials ask the public to report any suspected PPP loan fraud to the DOT OIG Hotline. Amaleka McCall-Braithwaite, the SBA OIG’s Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge, emphasized the “critical role of oversight in safeguarding taxpayer dollars” and pledged to continue pursuing individuals who misuse such critical help.
The Attorney General launched the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, a larger initiative, on May 17, 2021, which the investigation follows. It intends to mobilize government resources to combat pandemic-related fraud, with a particular emphasis on the most guilty domestic and international criminals. You can report fraud using COVID-19 to the Department of Justice’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or via the Web Complaint Form. For more information, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office listed on the Justice Department’s website.
