COURT NEWS: When will PPP Loan Fraud charges be placed against Maryland Judge and Maryland State Police Commander? Pastor with fake employees is now making license plates (or whatever they do) in federal prison after snaring over $300,000 in PPP scam

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By KEN ROSSIGNOL

THE CHESAPEAKE TODAY

WALDORF, MD. – A Paycheck Protection Program loan sought by a Maryland Judge and his son, a Maryland State Police Commander, that was forgiven continues to be unresolved, despite proof that the loan not only was fraudulent but aided and abetted by the bank used by the pair.

St. Mary’s Orphans Court Judge Michael White, who won renomination in a squeaker election in the Republican Primary on July 19, 2022, and his son, Maryland State Police Lt. George White, applied for and were approved for a $28,000 loan through the PPP program of the Cares Act. The two men used their firm, Woodville Pines LLC, an illegal gambling operation frequented by many law officers, lawyers, and retired law officers, to apply for the loan through Community Bank of the Chesapeake.  Woodville Pines LLC was used to launder millions of dollars of money.

The bank knew that Judge Michael White and his brother Deputy St. Mary’s States Attorney Daniel White, fraudulently opened bank accounts for Compass Marketing, without the knowledge or consent of John White, the CEO and majority owner of Compass at Community Bank, through County First Bank, which Chesapeake acquired – before the PPP loan took place. 

Therefore, Community Bank of the Chesapeake, by way of notification from Compass, knew the funds were alleged to have been pilfered from the company in the fraudulent account, which used the home address of Michael White in Golden Beach instead of the company address in Annapolis.  Further, the bank knew that the applicants did not qualify for the loan but submitted the application anyway.

Judge Michael White and Lt. George White, commander of the Forestville Barrack of the Maryland State Police, falsely certified under the penalty of perjury that they lied to obtain the PPP loan.

 In transcripts under oath in depositions in a lawsuit, in answers by Judge Michael White in 2021, he refused to state if he lied to obtain the loan.

Lt. George White failed to disclose his state police salary to obtain the loan, and Judge Michael White failed to disclose his full financial details on the annual ethics disclosures for the Maryland Judiciary, which is currently investigating his ethics and financial affairs.

In a recent deposition in a lawsuit that George White brought against former Anne Arundel County Sheriff Ronald Bateman, Lt. White admitted that he was running the Woodville Pines gambling operation while he was on the payroll of the State Police. White was Executive Protection chief at the time and ran his bookie-like gambling in his office in the Maryland State House, where he worked and answered directly to the Superintendent of the Maryland State Police. 

The Maryland State Police Internal Affairs section has been working overtime for the past two years to run interference for George White and to block and perform disappearing acts on evidence in the case, which should soon become public. 

Ironically, the case, which is on the verge of causing George White to possibly be charged with working another job while on the payroll of the State Police, came about when he filed a lawsuit against Sheriff Bateman alleging he had been defamed.

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) fraud

The United States Attorney for Maryland reports that PPP and EIDL fraud cases charged federally in Maryland during 2021 involve a range of conduct, from individual business owners who inflated their payroll expenses to obtain larger loans than they otherwise would have qualified for to fraudsters applying for multiple loans using false claims about their purported business entities, and/or charities.  Most charged defendants misappropriated loan proceeds for prohibited purposes, such as purchasing houses, cars, jewelry, and other luxury items. 

The pastor went for all the equity and social justice PPP money he could get to buy a new Charger.

For example, Pastor Brandon Fitzgerald-Holley, of Suitland, Maryland, used his non-operational nonprofit, the Coalition for Social Justice and Reform Incorporated (the Coalition), to fraudulently obtain $305,854 in PPP loan funds, even though the Coalition had no employees, income, or regular operations since its formation in 2018.  Fitzgerald-Holley admitted that he used the funds to purchase personal items, including clothing, a pool table, televisions, electronic equipment, a 2020 Dodge Charger Scat, and various accessories for the vehicle. He also used the funds to fund a vacation rental. 

In addition to Fitzgerald-Holley, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged eight other defendants with PPP and EIDL fraud.  Those charges remain pending.

Greenbelt, Maryland – Brandon Fitzgerald-Holley, 32, of Suitland, Maryland, pleaded guilty on December 3, 2021, to wire fraud in relation to COVID-19 loan fraud.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron.

According to his guilty plea, Fitzgerald-Holley used his non-operational nonprofit, the Coalition for Social Justice and Reform Incorporated (the Coalition), to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds. Since the Coalition’s formation in 2018, the nonprofit had no employees, income, or regular operations.

On March 31, 2020, Fitzgerald-Holley submitted an Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application for $150,000 in funds to the Small Business administration (SBA) on behalf of the Coalition. On June 3, 2020, the SBA denied the Coalition’s application for an EIDL.  On the same day, Fitzgerald-Holley contacted the SBA to request reconsideration of the EIDL application. The SBA did not approve Fitzgerald-Holley’s request for reconsideration of his EIDL or provide Fitzgerald-Holley with any EIDL funding.

Further, on June 13, 2020, shortly after Fitzgerald-Holley’s fraudulent EIDL application was denied, Fitzgerald-Holley submitted an application to Institution 1 for a for a $305,854 Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. Institution 1 is an online financial technology company that specializes in small business lending and participating as a non-bank PPP lender.

On the PPP loan application, Fitzgerald-Holley falsely listed that the Coalition employed 25 employees, had an average monthly payroll cost of $122,342. In reality, the Coalition had no employees or payroll expenses. Fitzgerald-Holley also created and submitted fraudulent documents including a fraudulent IRS Form W-3, which falsely stated that the Coalition had 25 employees with total wages of $1,385,000.

On June 13, 2020, the Coalition’s PPP loan application was approved. Fitzgerald-Holley signed the note on the loan as the CEO of the Coalition. Institution 1 subsequently deposited $305,854 in PPP loan funds into Fitzgerald-Holley’s personal account on June 16, 2020.

As stated in his plea agreement, upon receiving the fraudulently obtained PPP proceeds, Fitzgerald-Holley used the funds to purchase personal items including clothing, a pool table, televisions, electronic equipment, a 2020 Dodge Charger Scat, and various accessories for the vehicle. He also used the funds to fund a vacation rental. In total, Fitzgerald-Holley misappropriated $305,854 in PPP loan funds.

Profile of Fitzgerald-Holley from LinkedIn

• Chief Executive Officer
• Coalition For Social Justice and Reform
• Nov 2018 – Present · 3 yrs 10 mos
• Fredericksburg, Virginia
• President
• Coalition For Social Justice and Reform Inc · Freelance
• Nov 2018 – Present · 3 yrs 10 mos
• Kingdom Refuge Ministries Inc
• 5 yrs
• Chief Executive Officer
• Dec 2013 – Nov 2018 · 5 yrs
• Richmond, Virginia Area
• Senior Pastor
• Dec 2013 – Nov 2018 · 5 yrs
• Fredericksburg, Virginia