WASHINGTON — A man from Washington, D.C., and Bowie pleaded guilty Thursday, Aug. 6, to wire fraud after federal prosecutors said he falsified financial records to obtain an additional $1.35 million in COVID-19 relief funds for his business.
Robert A. Terrell, 51, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court before Judge Emmet G. Sullivan. Sentencing is scheduled for Feb. 4, 2027.
According to court documents, Terrell was the sole owner of District Logistics LLC, a company established in Washington in 2016 that provides hauling services for materials including sand, dirt, gravel and asphalt, as well as snow and ice removal.
Between July 2020 and January 2022, Terrell applied on behalf of the company for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan and two loan modifications through the U.S. Small Business Administration.
District Logistics initially received $125,800 in EIDL funds in July 2020. After Terrell sought a modification, the business received another $384,100 in September 2021.
Terrell then requested a second modification seeking $2 million.
As part of that request, prosecutors said Terrell submitted a Schedule of Liabilities to the SBA on Nov. 29, 2021, showing District Logistics owed approximately $518,000 to a creditor.
About a month later, Terrell submitted an updated version showing the company owed the same creditor just over $71,000.
Federal prosecutors said Terrell attached four PNC wire transfer receipts that he had altered to make it appear District Logistics had paid more than $400,000 to the creditor when the company had actually transferred less than $20,000.
By falsely making the company appear to have significantly less debt, prosecutors said Terrell persuaded the SBA to approve a second modification, resulting in District Logistics receiving an additional $1.35 million it otherwise would not have qualified to receive.
Authorities said the investigation later determined Terrell used some of the relief money for day trading through a Robinhood account and gambling at casinos.
“Robert Terrell lied to steal over a million dollars meant to keep struggling businesses afloat, then gambled much of it away,” U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro said.
The case later took an unusual turn after Terrell was indicted.
At his initial federal court appearance, Terrell acknowledged that his name was Robert Alphonso Terrell, according to prosecutors. At subsequent hearings, however, he allegedly denied that he was Robert A. Terrell and instead claimed to be “Robert Alphonso III, the General Executor of the Terrell Estate.”
Prosecutors said he repeated that assertion in multiple court filings while representing himself.
In March 2026, Terrell also traveled to the Turks and Caicos for a weekend after obtaining a new passport, despite conditions of his pretrial release.
Although he returned to the United States, Sullivan later issued a warrant for his arrest and ordered him detained following his arrest on that warrant.
Terrell also has a prior 1998 conviction for assault with a dangerous weapon, possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and carrying a pistol without a license.
The case was investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kondi Kleinman and David Liss.
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