A Prince George’s County man, who sometimes worked as a pastor improperly used coronavirus relief funds to purchase a Tesla and personal property, was sentenced to 18 months in prison.

Rudolph Brooks, 48, was charged in 2021 and authorities said he obtained more than $3.5 million in CARES Act Payroll Protection Program loans. Brooks surrendered his passport shortly after being charged, court records show.

He pleaded guilty to wire fraud and money laundering on Aug. 27 of this year, according to court records.

As part of his sentencing, Brooks was ordered to forfeit more than $2 million, the 2018 Tesla Model 3 he purchased, and property he bought in Upper Marlboro.

An attorney listed for Brooks in online court records did not return a request for comment. The Justice Department announced the sentencing this week.

The scheme

Between April 2020 and May 2021, Brooks schemed to “unjustly enrich himself” by fraudulently obtaining PPP loans and to conceal his misappropriation by laundering those funds, according to a stipulation of facts Brooks agreed to as part of his plea agreement.

Around May 9, 2020, Brooks submitted an application for a PPP loan for a business called Cars Direct by Gavawn HWD Bob’s Motors (Cars Direct) for $1.5 million. He falsely said the company had an average monthly payroll of about $620,000 and 10 employees — facts that were “grossly inflated” according to the stipulation.

While securing the loan, Brooks created and submitted a fraudulent IRS tax form. By May 12, the money was deposited into a bank account that Brooks was the only signer on.

Cars Direct was first incorporated in 2010 but forfeited in 2012. Brooks revived the incorporation around May 28, 2020, according to the court documents — weeks after submitting the application for the PPP loan.

Also in May, Brooks submitted another loan application for Kingdom Tabernacle of Restoration Ministries, a church where he sometimes served as a pastor.

The amount requested on the loan application $1.8 million. Once again, Brooks “grossly inflated” the number of employees working there and the annual payroll. The money was again deposited into a bank account where Brooks was the only signer.

Brooks also applied for, and received, a $204,000 loan for a company called Madaro LLC, again in a bank account where he was the only signer. Madaro was not a registered business at the time, according to court records.

In total, Brooks received more than $3.5 million on the basis of “false and fraudulent” loan applications.

The stipulation of facts says Brooks also tried to get money through the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program through Cars Direct and Kingdom Tabernacle. In both cases, the EIDL applications were rejected by the Small Business Administration, which cited unsatisfactory credit history.

Brooks applied for the rejected EIDL loans in April, but the rejections did not come through until May 18, court records say.

Brooks used the money to purchase groceries and retail goods, to withdraw cash and to make purchases at restaurants, and, according to court records, used $60,407 to purchase a 2018 Tesla Model 3 and about $507,000 to purchase property in Upper Marlboro.

PPP loans were meant to be used for payroll costs, mortgage interest, rent and utilities, not personal or other business expenses.

The District of Maryland Strike Force established by the Department of Justice is one of three in the country dedicated to investigating and prosecuting COVID-19 fraud, including fraud related to the CARES Act, according to DOJ.

Anyone can report suspected fraud related to COVID-19 disaster relief online or by calling 866-720-5721.