Sep. 22—A former Kingsland resident will serve more than 2 years in federal prison for defrauding the government out of $149,000 with a COVID-19 small business relief scam, according to David H. Estes, U.S. Attorney General for the Southern District of Georgia.

Mack Devon Knight, 45, was sentenced Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Brunswick to 29 months in federal prison for two counts of wire fraud, Estes said. Knight will serve three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison term. There is no parole in the federal prison system. Additionally, Knight was ordered to repay the $149,000 he stole from the Small Business Administration through the phony Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) application.

Presenting himself as a pastor, mortician, restaurateur and tax preparer, Knight falsified documents in March 2021 in a EIDL loan application with the Small Business Administration. Knight claimed hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses in revenue to fake Camden County businesses, Daddy Earl's Kitchen and Knight's Tax Services.

He later transmitted fraudulent bank documents to the SBA, claiming trumped-up profits at these businesses prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among other things, he used the ill-gotten loan money to buy a Mercedes Benz S-Class sedan, Estes said.

A federal grand jury in Brunswick indicted Knight in October 2021. He pleaded guilty in March. Knight could have faced up to 30 years in federal prison on the charges.

The stolen money was part of the $6.5 billion in federal dollars from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Security (CARES) Act to assist small businesses struggling in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Knight, who was recently residing in Stonecrest, had three prior felony convictions, Estes said.

"So many businesses needed federal emergency assistance to stay afloat during the pandemic, and this defendant misdirected hundreds of thousands of dollars of that money to his own pockets," said Keri Farley, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Atlanta office. "Mack Knight's actions affected every tax paying citizen, in particular those who needed help the most. The FBI will continue to make every effort to ensure federal funds are used as intended."

COVID-19 related fraud and suspicious activity can be reported to the National Center for Disaster Fraud at 866-702-5721, or via the NCDF web complaint form at: https://www.justice.gov/disaster-fraud/ncdf-disaster- complaint-form.