Construction logistics company owner admits to scheme to steal $1.35 million in COVID-19 relief funds

The owner of District Logistics LLC pleaded guilty to falsifying documents in order to fraudulently obtain more than $1 million in COVID-19-related business loans.

On August 6, 2026, Robert A. Terrell, 51, pleaded guilty to wire fraud in U.S. District Court, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.

Terrell owned Washington D.C.-based District Logistics LLC, a company that specialized in hauling sand, dirt, gravel, and asphalt as well as snow and ice removal.

Officials say that between July 2020 and January 2022, Terrell applied for an Economic Injury Disaster loan (EIDL) and two EIDL modifications on behalf of District Logistics.

In July 2020, District Logistics received $125,800 in EIDL funds.

In September 2021, District Logistics received an additional $384,100 in EIDL money after Terrell sought a modification to the previous loan.

Terrell then requested a second loan modification asking for $2 million.

As part of the $2 million loan application, officials say that Terrell submitted doctored wire transfer receipts that falsely indicated that his company had paid off most of its $518,000 in outstanding debt.

“By falsely attesting that District Logistics owed less money than it did, Terrell succeeded in getting the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) to approve a second modification to the EIDL, which resulted in District Logistics receiving an additional $1.35 million that it otherwise would not have received,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Officials further allege that Terrell spent some of the EIDL funding “day trading through his Robinhood account and gambling at casinos.”

From the U.S. Attorney’s Office:

“After he was indicted, Terrell’s case took an unusual turn. At his initial appearance in U.S. District Court, Terrell admitted that his name was “Robert Alphonso Terrell.” However, at his next court hearing and several thereafter, Terrell denied that he was “Robert A. Terrell” and instead insisted that he was “Robert Alphonso III, the General Executor of the Terrell Estate.” He repeated this bogus assertion in various pleadings while representing himself. In March 2026, in flagrant disregard of his pretrial release conditions, Terrell traveled to the Turks and Caicos for a weekend trip after securing a new passport. Although Terrell returned to the United States following the trip, as a result of his outrageous conduct, Judge Sullivan issued an arrest warrant for Terrell and ordered him detained after he was arrested on the warrant. 

Terrell was previously convicted in 1998 of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, Possession of a Firearm during a Crime of Violence, and Carrying a Pistol Without a License.” 

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation Washington Field Office.