Antoine Johnson, 49, and Kimberly Maddox, 44, have been sentenced to prison following their convictions for fraudulently obtaining approximately $2 million in bank loans and COVID-19 pandemic relief funds. This announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
The couple, previously residing in Huntersville, N.C., and now in Georgia, engaged in deceptive practices through their company, Pick Up and Go Moving International, Inc. (PUGMI), and related businesses. Johnson, the president of PUGMI, received a sentence of 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. Maddox, the vice president, will serve 12 months in prison with an additional six months of home confinement, followed by three years of supervised release. Both have been ordered to pay restitution amounting to $3,037,868.10.
Robert M. DeWitt, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Charlotte Division, participated in the announcement alongside U.S. Attorney Ferguson.
According to the court documents, between 2018 and 2023, Johnson and Maddox applied for multiple lines of credit, bank loans, Paycheck Protection Program loans, and Economic Injury Disaster Loan program loans using false information. They secured loans by falsifying data about PUGMI's income, expenses, and workforce in over 35 loan applications, along with submitting fake tax returns and financial statements. Notably, Johnson was already on federal supervised release from a prior conviction for mortgage fraud at the time they executed these fraud schemes.
Both Johnson and Maddox previously admitted guilt to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud, as well as making a false statement to a financial institution. They will report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons when a federal facility assignment is decided.
The FBI conducted the investigation, while Assistant U.S. Attorneys Caryn Finley and Graham Billings prosecuted the case from the Charlotte office.
The Department of Justice encourages reports of attempted COVID-19 related fraud to their National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline or through their online complaint form.
