An Atlanta man with two prior felony fraud convictions has been sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison for running a scheme that stole over $3 million in pandemic relief loans, U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg announced. Ian Patrick Jackson, 37, of Atlanta, Georgia, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Eleanor L. Ross to ten years and ten months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Northern District of Georgia

The Small Business Administration's Office of Inspector General, which investigated the case with the FBI, published the same sentencing announcement, confirming the sentence, the June 30 guilty plea and the scheme's structure.

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General

Nine business owners recruited, $300,000 per business

According to the U.S. Attorney, the indictment and information presented in court, Jackson spearheaded a conspiracy that recruited at least nine business owners to submit fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications containing falsified payroll information and concocted IRS tax forms to multiple banks. After each business received $300,000 in PPP money, the business owners wrote “payroll” checks to individuals who did not work for their businesses and then kept or split the stolen government funds, with Jackson receiving a share, the department said.

10 years 10 monthsfederal prison sentence
$3 million+stolen in at least 15 fraudulent pandemic loans
9+business owners recruited into the conspiracy
$300,000PPP money received by each recruited business

Fake licence, more loans, and an Aruba trip

In addition to the main PPP conspiracy, Jackson used a fraudulent Georgia driver's licence to apply for approximately $100,000 in Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and PPP loans; conspired to apply for a $237,500 fraudulent PPP loan with fabricated tax forms and a doctored bank statement; and fraudulently obtained a $240,035 PPP loan and $125,000 in EIDL loans and grants, the department said. He then spent the proceeds on personal expenses, including restaurant dining, spa services, phone and credit card bills, and travel to Aruba.

“Jackson recruited accomplices to manipulate pandemic relief programs, stealing more than $3 million earmarked for small business owners who suffered from the pandemic,” said U.S. Attorney Hertzberg. SBA Inspector General William W. Kirk said Jackson “treated pandemic relief as a personal payday,” and FBI Atlanta Special Agent in Charge Marlo Graham said the scheme showed “a blatant disregard for the law.” Jackson pleaded guilty on June 30, 2026, to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, two counts of bank fraud, two counts of wire fraud and two counts of money laundering. The case was investigated by the SBA Office of Inspector General and the FBI.