Two active-duty U.S. Army soldiers have admitted guilt, and a third soldier has been charged in connection with obtaining fraudulent loans through a COVID-19 relief program while stationed at Fort Gregg-Adams in Virginia.
Major Eduwell Jenkins, 42, entered a guilty plea for defrauding the Small Business Administration (SBA) by securing a fraudulent loan via the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). On the same day, Sergeant First Class Crispin Antonio Abad, 42, was indicted on eight counts for acquiring two fraudulent PPP loans during his active duty. Earlier, on November 5th, Sergeant Malaysia Stubbs, 30, also pled guilty to obtaining a fraudulent PPP loan.
According to court documents, Jenkins and Stubbs applied for these fraudulent loans in 2021. They falsely claimed to the SBA that they each held jobs outside their military duties that earned over $100,000 annually. To support this claim, both generated fake Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax return forms and submitted them as part of their PPP applications. These falsified documents were never filed with the IRS as legitimate tax returns. Consequently, Jenkins and Stubbs each received over $20,000 in government-backed PPP loans.
Separately, an indictment alleges that Abad applied for two fraudulent PPP loans in April 2021 while stationed at Fort Gregg-Adams. He reportedly claimed an income of exactly $100,000 from a business named "Granny’s Delight," which he said involved selling his grandmother's pies. Abad allegedly fabricated an IRS tax return form to substantiate this claim and submitted it to the SBA as supporting documentation for his loan applications. According to the indictment, he did not file this false document with the IRS as part of any legitimate tax filings. As a result of these submissions, Abad allegedly received over $41,000 in PPP loans.
Abad is accused of using these funds for luxury and recreational purchases at locations such as Fort Gregg-Adams Golf Course and MGM Casino in National Harbor, Maryland.
Jenkins is set for sentencing on March 25, 2025; Stubbs will be sentenced on March 20, 2025. Both face up to five years in prison if convicted. If found guilty on all charges, Abad could face up to 20 years behind bars. Federal sentences are typically less than the maximum possible penalties due to guidelines and other statutory factors considered by judges.
The announcement was made by Jessica D. Aber from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia; Keith K. Kelly from the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division’s Fraud Field Office; and Christopher Dillard from the Defense Criminal Investigative Service’s Mid-Atlantic Field Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth is handling prosecution duties for this case.
Court documents related to these cases can be accessed through various legal platforms including PACER under Case Nos: 3:24-cr-139 (Jenkins), 3:24-cr-159 (Stubbs), and 3:24-cr-178 (Abad).
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an accusation; defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.