Robeson County man who stole over $170,000 in fraudulent COVID loans plead guilty

Date: June 29, 2026

Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov

New Bern, NC – A Robeson County man Phillip Collins stole from the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) by submitting false loan applications which resulted in the disbursement of $170,833 in loan proceeds. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and faces a maximum term of 30 years in prison, and a $1,000,000 fine when sentenced later this year. He will also be ordered to pay a Forfeiture Money Judgment of $170,833.

“Although the government may have stopped doling out Covid money, our government continues to hand out billions in other loans, subsidies, and programs. This office will continue to hold accountable anyone who defrauds any of our taxpayer funded programs. Crime Doesn’t Pay! Cheaters. Never. Win.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Collins submitted fraudulent EIDL and PPP loan applications for a business located in Robeson County. Collins made false representations of the number of employees and gross revenues. He also submitted false and fraudulent tax forms and bank statements. Following approval of each of the loan applications, funds were disbursed into a personal account controlled by Collins. 

W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert Jones accepted the guilty plea from the defendant. IRS-CI and the FBI investigated the case.

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 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.