A Georgia man has been sentenced to six months of home confinement in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $170,000 in COVID-19 disaster relief loans for a trucking company that had ceased operating years earlier
Preston Fleming, 68, of Dacula, Georgia, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to six months of home confinement in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $170,000 in COVID-19 disaster relief loans for a trucking company that had ceased operating years earlier.
“Fleming lied about his company’s operations, lied about how the money would be used, and then lied again to have the loan forgiven, all so he could build himself a new home with pandemic relief funds meant to save struggling small businesses,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “My office will continue to hold accountable anyone who treated disaster relief programs as a personal piggy bank.”
Fleming pleaded guilty on April 17, 2026, before U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell to one count of wire fraud. In addition to six months of home confinement, Judge Howell ordered Fleming to serve two years of supervised release and to pay the total remaining balance of fraudulently obtained funds. Prosecutors had requested a term of imprisonment.
“Preston Fleming’s conduct reflects a blatant audacity to commit fraud. As a former HUD employee, he knew the responsibilities that come with public service, yet he chose to exploit a national emergency for personal gain,” according to HUD Office of Inspector General Special Agent in Charge Jerome Winkle. “Applying for substantial COVID‑19 relief funds for a business he had already closed undermines the integrity of programs meant to support Americans in crisis. Our office remains steadfast in bringing accountability to those who abuse federal relief efforts.”