A Fayetteville man is facing a six-count federal indictment after prosecutors say he used three companies with no real operations to collect nearly $1 million in pandemic Paycheck Protection Program loans. The alleged paperwork included employee counts, payroll figures and tax documents that prosecutors say described businesses that did not actually function that way.
Ronald Ray Brock II, 50, was indicted by a federal grand jury, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina. Prosecutors say Brock obtained $996,668.50 through loans connected to MedCom Medical Messaging, Physicians Answering Group Exchange and Answer Pronto.
The FBI Charlotte field office highlighted the case in a Tuesday Facebook post, noting that the indictment followed an FBI investigation.
How Prosecutors Say The Loans Were Built
According to the federal indictment announcement, Brock claimed the three companies employed between 14 and 57 people and paid between $32,000 and $121,000 in monthly payroll. Prosecutors allege the businesses had no employees or payroll, and that Brock used fabricated tax returns and other falsified documents to support the applications.
The indictment also alleges that Brock obtained duplicate loans for one company by applying through two different participating lenders. Prosecutors say he later made additional false statements while seeking forgiveness for one of the loans through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Six Wire Fraud Counts Carry Major Potential Penalties
Brock is charged with six counts of wire fraud involving disaster-related benefits. If convicted, each count carries a statutory maximum of 30 years in federal prison.
The indictment is an accusation, not a conviction. Brock is presumed innocent unless prosecutors prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt in court.
A Pandemic Fraud Cleanup That Keeps Producing Cases
The Fayetteville case arrives as federal investigators continue working through suspected fraud from emergency programs created during the COVID-19 crisis. A Government Accountability Office report said estimates indicate hundreds of billions of dollars in potentially fraudulent pandemic-relief payments, while the Justice Department had publicly announced criminal fraud-related charges against at least 3,096 defendants through the end of 2024.
North Carolina has seen several recent cases tied to the same relief programs. In March, the Eastern District of North Carolina U.S. Attorney’s Office said a former Robeson County sheriff’s deputy, his wife and two adult sons pleaded guilty in a scheme involving more than $542,000 in fraudulent PPP and Economic Injury Disaster loans.
The Fayetteville case is pending in federal court in the Eastern District of North Carolina. The FBI is investigating, and any future plea, hearing or sentencing decision will determine how the allegations move forward.
