A man from Central Georgia has been sentenced to seven years in prison for his role in a bank fraud conspiracy involving fraudulent loans at a local bank branch. Ronnie Atkinson, 57, of Macon, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison and five years of supervised release on February 5 after pleading guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft. He was also ordered to pay $3,357,073.21 in restitution.
In a related case, Alan Childs, 60, of Gray, received a sentence of twelve months and one day in prison on September 17, 2025. He was ordered to pay $3,094,200.98 in restitution after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell presided over the case. Federal sentences do not allow for parole.
“The defendant conspired with others to defraud a Gray, Georgia, bank branch, costing a small business and causing harm to many,” said U.S. Attorney William R “Will” Keyes. “These types of financial schemes have a negative ripple effect in the community and will not be tolerated by our office. We will continue to work with law enforcement to hold fraudsters accountable.”
“This case shows how greed-driven fraud schemes can devastate small businesses and undermine trust in our financial system,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Mr. Atkinson exploited personal relationships and falsified records to secure millions in illegal loans, and today’s sentence holds him accountable for that harm."
Court documents show that Childs served as Market President for the Gray branch of Morris Bank from March 2018 through August 2022 and had lending authority up to $500,000 per customer relationship; amounts above this required approval from the Senior Credit Officer.
Atkinson owned a timber-harvesting business and first obtained a loan from Morris Bank in March 2018 through Childs for equipment purchase. By June 2019 he reached his lending limit at the bank and his loans were downgraded due to risk concerns.
From August 2019 through May 2022, Atkinson arranged for relatives and friends to take out loans on his behalf with Childs’ knowledge—exceeding his borrowing limit without proper authorization.
Atkinson also submitted fraudulent bills of sale for goods supposedly purchased with loan funds and directed some sellers listed on paperwork instead to cash checks for him or his relatives rather than providing actual goods or services.
He further used check-cashing businesses by bringing along payees named on loan checks—sometimes cashing them himself without the payee present—even though those individuals had not sold anything related to the transactions.
In total, Morris Bank issued 57 loans connected with Atkinson’s scheme resulting in losses estimated between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
The FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted it for the government.
