According to the Department of Justice (DOJ), Andrew Mitchell, aka “Andrew Aga,” has pleaded guilty to stealing over $6,866,606 from Friendship Missionary Baptist Church of Broad Avenue by passing himself off as an insurance adjuster. Mitchell defrauded the Church, the insurance company, and many contractors, through a complicated web of fake contracts and falsified insurance claims.
For background, Hurricane Michael was a destructive tropical cyclone that struck the Florida Panhandle on October 10, 2018. The storm quickly intensified into a Category 5 hurricane, making Michael the first to land in the United States since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
In any case, the DOJ issued a press release to inform the public about the details of this crime. The department said, “Andrew Mitchell aka “Andrew Aga,” 45, of Kemeh, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud before U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on March 27. Mitchell faces a maximum of 30 years in prison, to be followed by at least three years of supervised release and a $1,000,000 fine. The Court will determine a sentencing date. There is no parole in the federal system.”
Building on that point, Acting U.S. Attorney Shanelle Booker expressed her sadness with the event. She said, “It is disheartening to see someone willing to defraud a place of worship in the wake of a major natural disaster, especially when its congregation trusted the defendant and all those involved to act lawfully and help them repair their historic downtown facility after Hurricane Michael.”
Adding to her remarks, Booker said, “Together with our federal prosecutorial team, investigators from the Georgia Insurance Commissioner’s Office thoroughly examined years of fraud to ensure that Andrew Mitchell is held accountable for his crime.”
Condemning the callous crime, Georgia Insurance Commissioner John F. King savaged Mitchell. He said, “At a time when victims were still reeling from the devastation of Hurricane Michael, Andrew Mitchell took advantage of that vulnerability for his own personal gain. I am proud of our investigators and their work in conjunction with the U.S. Attorney’s Office to protect hardworking Georgia families and hold the defendant responsible for his actions.”
Mitchell defrauded the church through a complicated web of illegitimate contracts. The DOJ reported that Mitchell emailed Brotherhood Mutual the fraudulent $18.6 million contract between Blue Key Construction and Friendship Missionary Baptist Church; the church received less than one-third of the proceeds paid out by Brotherhood Mutual for damages…. Mitchell lied to Blue Key Construction representatives that the insurance company refused payment beyond approximately $2.5 million.”
Providing additional detail, the DOJ said, “Mitchell met with Friendship Missionary Baptist Church representatives to voice their concerns about incomplete repairs; the defendant lied that Brotherhood Mutual was withholding further payments. In total, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance issued $6,866,606.80 in payments intended exclusively for the church’s hurricane repairs.”
Defense attorney Steven Badger added his own thoughts on the scandal. He said, “I am very pleased to see the prompt action by Louisiana insurance regulators in first revoking (Mitchell’s) license and now charging him with felony crimes. Hopefully we will soon see similar charges in Texas and Georgia where he has similar alleged victims.”