A Macon, Georgia man has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for his role in a scheme that defrauded a local bank out of millions of dollars. Ronnie Atkinson, 57, received an 84-month prison sentence and five years of supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. He was also ordered to pay more than $3.35 million in restitution.
Alan Childs, 60, of Gray, Georgia, was involved in the same scheme and previously received a sentence of twelve months and one day in prison. Childs was ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution after admitting guilt to conspiracy to commit bank fraud.
U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell presided over the case. There is no parole in the federal system.
According to prosecutors, Childs served as Market President for the Gray branch of Morris Bank from March 2018 until August 2022 and had authority to approve loans up to $500,000 per customer relationship. Atkinson owned a timber-harvesting business and began obtaining loans through Childs starting in March 2018. By June 2019, Atkinson had reached his lending limit with the bank and his loans were classified as substandard due to concerns about repayment.
Beginning in August 2019 and continuing through May 2022, Atkinson arranged for relatives and friends to appear as borrowers on additional loans intended for his benefit—loans which exceeded his authorized borrowing limit without proper approval from higher-level officers at the bank. Court documents indicate that many bills of sale submitted by Atkinson were fraudulent. In several instances, individuals listed as sellers would cash loan checks at Atkinson’s request and then hand the money back to him or his relatives.
Morris Bank ultimately issued 57 loans connected to this scheme, resulting in losses between $1.5 million and $3.5 million.
U.S. Attorney William R “Will” Keyes stated: “The defendant conspired with others to defraud a Gray, Georgia, bank branch, costing a small business and causing harm to many,” said U.S. Attorney William R “Will” Keyes. “These types of financial schemes have a negative ripple effect in the community and will not be tolerated by our office. We will continue to work with law enforcement to hold fraudsters accountable.”
Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta added: “This case shows how greed-driven fraud schemes can devastate small businesses and undermine trust in our financial system,” said Peter Ellis, Acting Special Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta. “Mr. Atkinson exploited personal relationships and falsified records to secure millions in illegal loans, and today’s sentence holds him accountable for that harm.”
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation into this case while Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted it for the government.
