Raleigh pastor pleads guilty to Covid-19 loan fraud charges, facing up to 30 years in prison

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- A Raleigh pastor is facing decades behind bars after pleading guilty to receiving more than $400,000 of fraudulent government-funded COVID-19 loans.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 45-year-old Mitchell Summerfield was found guilty of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 loan funds.

According to court documents, Summerfield was the pastor of the Word of God Fellowship Church in Raleigh and owned various other businesses, including Winning Ways, KHS Investments, and Vision and Destiny.

In 2018, Summerfield stepped into the role of lead pastor at Word of God Fellowship, a church founded by his late parents. His church biography describes him as "a next generation leader," crediting him for closing real estate deals valued at over a million dollars.

At one of the companies, Winning Ways, which Summerfield claimed is a home for teen mothers, investigators said it never operated, but he still received a nearly $150,000 loan.

Between July 2020 and July 2021, documents said Summerfield conspired with others to submit false and fraudulent applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster loans (EIDL) for his businesses.

Documents showed that Summerfield submitted multiple EIDL and/or PPP applications on behalf of Winning Ways, KHS Investments, and Vision and Destiny, and made various false statements in the applications in order to get lending agencies to approve and send out the requested loan amounts.

Investigators found that Summerfield also provided fabricated IRS tax forms, including false income tax returns.

As a result of the fraudulent applications, he received more than $400,000 in PPP and EIDL funds and used the proceeds for unauthorized and unlawful purposes, including paying for personal expenses.

According to documents, Summerfield used the money for everything from flights to shopping, designer clothes, and family planning.

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At his sentencing, Summerfield is facing up to 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine, and five years of supervised release. The DOJ said Sumerfield will also be required to pay restitution in an amount that is to be determined.

ABC11 reached out to Summerfield's listed attorney by phone to get his side of the story, but she declined the call.