A Baltimore County man has been sentenced to federal prison for fraudulently obtaining more than $523,000 in loans intended to help businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett sentenced Edward McCorkle, 37, to two years in prison, followed by six months of home detention and three years of supervised release for one count of wire fraud. McCorkle pleaded guilty to the charges on September 15, 2025. He was also ordered to pay $523,500 in restitution.
The sentence was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland; Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office; and Chief Robert O. McCullough of the Baltimore County Police Department.
According to court documents, McCorkle began his scheme in May 2020 and continued through February 2021. He submitted fraudulent loan applications under both the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program for various businesses he had previously established. The financial institutions affected included Cross River Bank and the Small Business Administration (SBA).
McCorkle obtained over $523,000 through these fraudulent applications and attempted to secure a total of $946,500. The funds were used for personal expenses, large cash withdrawals, and real estate purchases and rehabilitation projects in Baltimore City.
The CARES Act was passed in March 2020 to provide emergency financial assistance during the economic downturn caused by COVID-19. It created programs such as PPP and EIDL to support small businesses with forgivable loans for job retention and other expenses.
The case was investigated by a special strike force established by the U.S. Department of Justice focused on identifying large-scale pandemic relief fraud across multiple states.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended law enforcement agencies involved in the investigation: "U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the FBI and BCPD for their work in the investigation." She also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul E. Budlow as well as Paralegal Specialists Juliette Jarman and Joanna B.N. Huber for their contributions.
More information about reporting suspected COVID-19 fraud can be found at justice.gov/coronavirus or reported via hotline at 866-720-5721 or online at justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster-complaint-form.
For details about resources from the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office or how to report fraud locally, visit justice.gov/usao-md or justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.
