CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. - A former Georgia police officer is facing charges for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain more than $1.4 million in federal COVID-19 relief money.
Authorities say ex-Clayton County police officer Andre Jackson is among the four people indicted in the operation.
Prosecutors accuse the group of preparing fraudulent applications for federal Paycheck Protection Program loans in 2020 for companies that did not have legitimate customers or employees.
Western Michigan U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said in a statement that the four saw the COVID-19 pandemic "as an opportunity to get rich quick" with money intended to keep people from losing their jobs.
One of the suspects, 47-year-old Jemar Mason of Grand Rapids, Michigan, had already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Jackson is scheduled to be sentenced in February.
He could face up to seven years in prison.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.