Florida Pastor’s $8M COVID Fraud Case Ends in Bizarre Twist
A Florida pastor and his son’s $8.4 million COVID-19 fraud case has concluded with an extraordinary split outcome: the father had all charges dropped after being deemed incompetent due to dementia, while his son was sentenced to prison after a judge ruled he was faking mental illness. The case, which NBC News described as one of the strangest pandemic fraud prosecutions, featured shredded documents in a Mercedes SUV, signal-blocking Faraday bags, and a dementia-stricken accountant.
The Scheme
In April 2020, Josh Edwards, 35, applied for a $6 million Paycheck Protection Program loan on behalf of ASLAN International Ministry, claiming the organization had 486 employees and a monthly payroll of $2.7 million. The ministry was ultimately approved for $8.4 million. In reality, the ministry had virtually no employees. When federal investigators visited its listed Orlando office, the door was locked and neighboring businesses reported never seeing anyone enter or leave.
The man listed as the ministry’s accountant, Walter Gnida, suffered from dementia and had not done any work for the organization since 2017, according to an interview with his son cited in court filings. The Justice Department announced the recovery of the full $8.4 million in April 2021, including $868,000 set aside for a down payment on a $3.7 million luxury home in Golden Oaks, a Disney World development.
The Traffic Stop
On September 17, 2020, the Edwards family was pulled over in their Mercedes SUV on I-75 north of Gainesville. Inside, federal agents discovered bags of shredded documents, a document shredder, laptops and tablets in Faraday bags designed to block radio frequency tracking, and a research manual on tracing money flows through financial institutions. All four family members were taken into custody on immigration charges but were released the next day.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, charges were not filed until December 2022 — more than two years after the traffic stop. An NBC News investigation published in July 2022 explicitly questioned why the family had not been charged.
The Competency Battle
The case was then delayed for over three years by competency evaluations. Multiple psychiatrists gave conflicting opinions on both father and son. A judge compared the case to mobster Vincent “The Chin” Gigante, who famously feigned mental illness for decades.
Evan Edwards, 64, the pastor and founder of ASLAN International Ministry, had all charges dropped in March 2025 after multiple psychiatrists determined he was incompetent to stand trial, suffering from “moderate to severe dementia and significant and permanent cognitive deficits.” Magistrate Judge Leslie Hoffman Price noted in January 2023 that while there was “a suggestion of potential malingering on some aspects,” there were “medical issues that are completely verifiable.”
Josh Edwards faced a different outcome. A judge ultimately ruled that he was “malingering” — faking mental illness — rather than suffering from a genuine mental defect. On June 2, 2026, he was sentenced to 4 years and 3 months in prison after pleading guilty to two fraud counts. Having already served approximately 3.5 years in federal custody, he is expected to be deported to Canada after completing his sentence.
A Family Affair
Josh’s attorney, Andrew Searle, portrayed him as a fall guy for his family. “Given his lack of maturity and his dependency on his family, it is clear that [Josh Edwards] acted at the instruction and direction of others when he sought and signed for the PPP loan in this case,” Searle said in court filings. He noted that Josh’s sister, Joy, and mother, Mary Jane, controlled the accounts into which the loan money was transferred. Neither has been charged.
Alan Heringa, Evan’s cousin, expressed shock at the case. “His whole life was devoted to the church. To scam the government, it’s just unbelievable,” he told NBC News. “I can see his father rolling in his grave.”
Broader Context
The case highlights the staggering scale of pandemic-era fraud. More than $200 billion in COVID relief loans and grants was likely doled out to fraudsters from March 2020 to January 2022, according to government reports. The Paycheck Protection Program, created by the CARES Act in March 2020, was notoriously vulnerable to fraud due to its rapid rollout and minimal verification requirements.
What’s Next
Josh Edwards remains in federal custody and is expected to be deported to Canada after serving his sentence. Evan Edwards is at home in Florida, being cared for by his wife and daughter. The recovery of all $8.4 million represents a rare success in a landscape where most fraudulently obtained funds were never recovered, but the case leaves unanswered questions about why charges took so long to file and whether other family members will face consequences.