Final Defendant Sentenced in $3 Million Bank Fraud Conspiracy Investigation

MACON, Ga. - The final defendant tied to a larger FBI investigation into a $3 million bank fraud conspiracy targeting a Morris Bank branch in Gray, Georgia, was sentenced to prison for his role in cashing checks in violation of the federal Bank Secrecy Act.

James Kevin Meyers, 57, of Gray, Georgia, was sentenced to serve 12 months and one day in prison on June 4, after he pleaded guilty to one count of causing the filing of false currency transaction reports on Feb. 18.

In two related cases, Ronnie Atkinson, 57, of Macon, Georgia, was sentenced to serve a total of 84 months in prison to be followed by five years of supervised release on Feb. 5, after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft on May 12, 2025. Atkinson was also ordered to pay a total of $3,357,073.21 in restitution.

Alan Childs, 60, of Gray, Georgia, was sentenced to serve twelve months and one day in prison on Sept. 17, 2025, and was ordered to pay $3,094,200.98 in restitution after he pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud on April 12, 2025.

U.S. District Judge Marc T. Treadwell presided over the cases. There is no parole in the federal system.

"This case makes clear that we will identify and hold accountable every individual involved in a fraud scheme," said U.S. Attorney William R. "Will" Keyes. "We remain committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop financial crimes and protect the public's trust."

"Financial crimes like this undermine trust in our banking system and harm everyday people across our communities," said Robert Gibbs, Supervisory Senior Resident Agent in Charge of FBI Atlanta's Macon office. "Whether someone is committing fraud directly or helping conceal it, we will continue holding every participant accountable for abusing positions of trust and enabling million-dollar schemes."

According to court documents and statements made in court in the related cases, Atkinson obtained his first loan for his timber-harvesting business with Morris Bank in March 2018, which was handled by Childs, the bank's Market President; all subsequent loans were handled by Childs. By June 2019, Atkinson reached the maximum $500,000 loan threshold, and Childs was not allowed to make additional loans to Atkinson without higher approval. Also, Atkinson's loans were downgraded to substandard, indicating they displayed a well-defined weakness that could jeopardize collection.

Beginning in August 2019 and continuing through May 2022, Atkinson had relatives and friends appear as borrowers on loans intended for his benefit, which Childs knew were for Atkinson's benefit, and which exceeded his $500,000 limit without proper approval. In loans involving the purchase of goods, Atkinson included many fraudulent bills of sale. In addition, Atkinson instructed some of the so-called reported sellers of the goods to just cash the loan checks instead and give the money to him or one of his relatives.

As it relates to Meyers' case, Atkinson brought several Morris Bank loan and cashier's checks to Mr. Kevin's Check Cashing in Macon, a money services business managed by Meyers. As a domestic financial institution, Meyers' company was required to comply with the Bank Secrecy Act regulations and reporting requirements, including filing Currency Transaction Reports (CTRs) for transactions exceeding $10,000. Atkinson cashed the loan checks several times without the listed payee present, each for more than $10,000. The CTR should have listed the person who presented the check and left with the cash as Atkinson. Instead, the CTRs listed the payees of the check, although they were not present and did not collect the cash. Meyers would either personally cash these checks for Atkinson or direct his employees to cash them and file the CTRs with the listed payees' names, even though Atkinson cashed the checks.

As a result of the conspiracy, Morris Bank issued 57 loans to and for the benefit of Atkinson, with a total loss of between $1.5 million and $3.5 million. As part of the larger investigation, agents found that five of the Morris Bank loan checks were cashed illegally under Meyer's direction for $166,788, $117,409, $93,338, $126,743, and $280,013.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The case was investigated by the FBI.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Howard prosecuted the case for the Government.