Delaware pastor sentenced to 18 months in prison for committing over $500,000 in pandemic relief fraud and tax fraud

Date: Sept. 29, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

Philadelphia – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Brian Pittman was sentenced today to 18 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, a $200 special assessment, and $606,101 in restitution by United States District Judge Kelley Brisbon Hodge for defrauding a pandemic relief program and committing tax fraud.

The defendant was charged via information in February of this year and pleaded guilty in March to one count of wire fraud and one count of filing a false tax return, waiving prosecution by indictment.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

As detailed in court filings, Pittman used the names and information of friends and family to apply for, and receive, multiple pandemic relief loans backed by the United States Small Business Administration (“SBA”). Pittman used false information and fake documents to support applications for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (“EIDL”) program, resulting in payouts to friends and family of $363,600. 

Pittman had his friends and family transfer him the majority of the loan money — over $250,000 — which he kept for himself. Pittman did not report this income on his tax returns, resulting in almost $90,000 underpayment to the IRS.

Pittman obtained an additional $181,164 in pandemic relief from the SBA based on fraudulent applications filed in his own name and the names of businesses he controlled. 

In total, Pittman was responsible for $544,764 of payouts based on fraud.

While submitting the false applications, and through the present, Pittman worked as a pastor at a 350-member Delaware-based church, served as a volunteer chaplain for a Delaware County police department, and ran a mentoring program.

This case was investigated by IRS Criminal Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jessica Rice and Ruth Mandelbaum.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 16 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.