Former Robeson County Sheriff’s deputy and family plead guilty to stealing over $542,000 in fraudulent COVID loans

Date: March 12, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Wilmington, NC - A Robeson County Sheriff's deputy, his wife, and two adult sons engaged in a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and by submitting false loan applications which resulted in the disbursement of $542,288 in loan proceeds pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Ricky McMillian, Erica McMillian, Dwayne McMillian, and Derian McMillian, face a maximum term of thirty (30) years in prison, and a $1,000,000 fine when sentenced later this year. They will also be ordered to pay a Forfeiture Money Judgment of $542,288.

"Although the COVID loans may have stopped, our government continues to dole out billions in other forms of loans, subsidies, and programs. This office will continue to hold accountable to anyone who defrauds any of our taxpayer funded programs. This entire family of COVID fraudsters learned this lesson the hard way. CHEATERS. NEVER. WIN." said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.

According to court documents and other information presented in court, Deputy McMillian and his family members submitted five EIDL and PPP loan applications for four different businesses located in Robeson County. The McMillians and a co-conspirator made false representations about the number of employees and gross revenues. They also submitted false and fraudulent tax forms and bank statements. Following approval of each loan application, the government disbursed funds into personal accounts controlled by the McMillians.

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 pleas from the defendants. The IRS-CI and the FBI investigated the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan Ontjes prosecuted 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.