Robeson County man pleads guilty in COVID fraud case

June 30, 2026

1–2 minutes

Summary

Federal prosecutors said Phillip Collins fraudulently obtained $170,833 in COVID-19 relief funds.

Why this matters

The case shows federal authorities are still prosecuting alleged fraud involving pandemic relief programs. It also underscores the legal risks tied to false information in government loan applications.

A Robeson County man pleaded guilty after federal prosecutors said he fraudulently obtained more than $170,000 in COVID-19 relief funds.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina said Phillip Collins, 47, admitted to conspiracy to commit wire fraud tied to applications submitted through the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program and the Paycheck Protection Program.

Prosecutors said Collins submitted false loan applications for a Robeson County business, misrepresenting the company’s number of employees and gross revenue. Investigators said he also provided false tax documents and bank statements in support of the applications.

Officials said the approved loans led to $170,833 being deposited into a personal bank account controlled by Collins.

U.S. Attorney W. Ellis Boyle said his office would continue pursuing fraud involving government programs.

“Although the government may have stopped doling out COVID money, our government continues to hand out billions in other loans, subsidies, and programs,” Boyle said. “This office will continue to hold accountable anyone who defrauds any of our taxpayer-funded programs. Crime doesn’t pay. Cheaters. Never. Win.”

The FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation investigated the case.

More top news

NC lead

NC lawmakers release $34B budget, plan votes this week

The budget also appropriates more than $700 million for Hurricane Helene relief, including FEMA matches and local government needs.

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North Carolina legislative leaders released a $34 billion budget proposal Tuesday, weeks after House and Senate leaders announced a framework agreement in May.

House Speaker Destin Hall, R-Caldwell, said both chambers expect to vote on the budget Wednesday and Thursday. Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger, R-Rockingham, said the plan would reduce taxes, expand education options, and fund public safety.

The 634-page budget sets a new teacher salary schedule with starting base pay at $48,000 and an average raise of 8%. School employees with 0 to 15 years of experience would receive a one-time $500 bonus, while those with 16 or more years would receive $1,000.

Most state employees would receive a 3% across-the-board raise. Employees earning $65,000 or less would get a one-time $1,750 bonus, and those earning more than $65,000 would get $1,000. State Highway Patrol employees would receive total salary increases of 15% in fiscal year 2026-27, in addition to any step increases.

To help fund the increases, the budget directs agencies to cut vacant positions, including nearly $4 million at the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, $2.7 million at the Department of Insurance, $1.8 million at the Department of Administration, and $1.1 million at the Department of Public Instruction.

The Department of Adult Corrections would cut more than $40 million in vacancies, with additional appropriations to offset program losses. About $13 million each would go to food and nutrition, pharmacy services, and general health. Lawmakers also would provide $80 million in nonrecurring funds from the legislature’s stabilization and inflation reserve.

The proposal would repeal the electricity sales tax exemption for data centers, close a hospital sales tax exemption loophole, raise the tax on sports betting operators’ net revenue from 18% to 23%, and create a 6% tax on prediction market sites such as Kalshi and Polymarket.

Gov. Josh Stein said Tuesday, “We’re going to be reviewing [the budget] incredibly closely in the coming days. What we want is for the state to pass a budget that invests in our people.”
Hawaii

Washington woman charged in Honolulu cocaine case

Customs and Border Protection officers said they found 15.5 kilograms of cocaine in two checked bags on a Japan Airlines flight bound for Haneda, Japan.

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A 30-year-old Washington state woman appeared in federal court in Honolulu on Saturday after authorities said they found more than 34 pounds of cocaine in her luggage before a flight to Tokyo.

Vanesa Selena Ramirez is charged with possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Wes Reber Porter. The U.S. Department of Justice moved to detain her without bail pending trial, and a hearing on that motion is scheduled for Monday.

Ramirez was being held at the Federal Detention Center in Honolulu.

According to court records, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport told Homeland Security Investigations agents at about 2:10 p.m. Friday that they found cocaine in Ramirez’s luggage.

At 4:15 p.m. Friday, officers asked Ramirez about the bags, and she produced matching claim tags, according to an affidavit from one of the agents. Two Homeland Security Investigations agents interviewed Ramirez at 4:45 p.m. Friday.

Ramirez told agents she knew the bags contained illegal cargo, but said she did not believe it was illegal drugs, according to the affidavit. She said she was to be paid $5,000 to take the bags to Tokyo, where an unknown person would collect them.

According to Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, cocaine and other narcotics are “strictly regulated” under the “Narcotics and Psychotropic Substances Control Act.” The ministry said violations involving possession, use, sale, importation, and other cocaine offenses can carry prison terms of up to 10 years and fines of up to 5 million yen, or more than $30,000.
North Carolina

New Bern man charged in sextortion case, deputies say

The suspect allegedly coerced, extorted, and threatened a 13-year-old into producing child sexual abuse material.

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A New Bern man faced multiple felony charges after investigators said he extorted a 13-year-old into producing child sexual abuse material through Snapchat.

The Craven County Sheriff’s Office said the investigation began after the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children sent a CyberTip about the sextortion of a minor.

The sheriff’s office Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force identified Robert Cothren Jr., 19, of Elizabeth Avenue in New Bern, as the suspect.

Investigators said Cothren posed as younger than his actual age to coerce, extort, intimidate, and threaten the 13-year-old into producing child sexual abuse material.

With help from Homeland Security Investigations in Buffalo, New York, investigators identified the victim and conducted a forensic interview, according to the sheriff’s office.

After the investigation, detectives consulted the Craven County District Attorney’s Office before obtaining arrest warrants.

Cothren was arrested June 28 and was being held without bond at the Craven County Confinement Facility.
Hawaii

Hawaii may get 1M eggs in price-fixing settlement

U.S. wholesale egg prices reached record levels before Christmas 2024, with much of the increase attributed to bird flu losses among laying hens.

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Hawaii may receive about 1 million eggs under a proposed settlement with three of the nation’s largest egg producers, according to the state Attorney General’s Office.

The U.S. Department of Justice and 17 states, including Hawaii, reached the agreement with Cal-Maine Foods Inc., Versova/Centrum, and Hickman’s Egg Ranch after filing a civil lawsuit alleging unlawful inflation of the daily egg price index.

Under the proposed settlement, the companies would pay a combined $3.3 million and donate 53 million eggs to participating states. Hawaii Attorney General Anne Lopez said the state’s share was still under review because of distribution logistics. If Hawaii receives the eggs, they would go directly to food banks.

“When companies illegally manipulate prices, Hawaii families pay the price at the checkout counter,” Lopez said in a news release. “This settlement holds these producers accountable and helps ensure that essential food items remain accessible to families and communities in Hawaii and across the nation.”

According to the attorney general’s office, a Justice Department antitrust investigation found that from June 2022 to March 2025, the three companies coordinated bidding activity to influence daily egg price quotes published by Urner Barry, a benchmark pricing service.

The release said that, in December 2022, Hickman’s chief executive officer emailed executives at Versova and Cal-Maine urging them to submit “strong bids, early and often” to raise prices. The companies then submitted higher bids, and Urner Barry increased its price quotes, according to the release.

The attorney general’s office said that affecting the Urner Barry benchmark raised egg prices paid by retailers and consumers nationwide.

A Hawaii Department of Agriculture market analysis issued in March 2025 found that the benchmark price for a dozen mainland eggs rose 30% to $9.46, while the benchmark price for a dozen large, locally produced eggs rose 20% to $9.51. The analysis also said Hawaii consumers had fewer brands to choose from because of egg shortages on the mainland.

If approved by a court, the settlement would bar communications about bidding strategies and prices. It also would require antitrust compliance measures and compliance officers, with reports to the states and the Justice Department.
North Carolina

Marine faces felony drug charges in Onslow County

Nathan Matthew Rivera was charged with two counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver LSD and MDMA.

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A Marine was arrested June 30 on multiple felony drug charges after an investigation by the Onslow County Sheriff’s Office Drug Enforcement Unit.

Nathan Matthew Rivera surrendered after learning there was an outstanding warrant for his arrest, authorities said. The sheriff’s office said Rivera had recently been released from the brig.

Court records showed the alleged offenses occurred June 26, 2023. Warrants were issued April 30, 2024, and were served when Rivera was arrested June 30, 2026.

According to charging documents, Rivera was charged with two counts of possession with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver a Schedule I controlled substance.

The documents alleged Rivera conspired with another person to sell LSD and traffic MDMA, and sold and delivered LSD and MDMA to a confidential informant.

Investigators also alleged Rivera possessed 10 dosage units of LSD and MDMA with intent to manufacture, sell, or deliver them, manufactured both drugs, and possessed drug paraphernalia, including plastic bags and aluminum foil, used to package, store, and conceal controlled substances.

Rivera received a $10,000 secured bond. He was scheduled to make his first appearance in Onslow County District Court on Wednesday, July 1.
North Carolina

New River YMCA sets July 2 food events, seeks help

The YMCA said it is also seeking volunteers for the program.

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New River YMCA said it is continuing its summer food program for children while school is out.

According to the organization, 473 children were served last week through its Youth Summer Feeding Box Program. The YMCA said the program provides food options for children and families during the summer, when school meals are unavailable.

Two food distribution events are scheduled for Thursday, July 2.

A Youth Summer Feeding Box Distribution will be held from 2 to 3:30 p.m. at Agape Life Family Church, 220 Francktown Road in Richlands.

A Youth Open Market will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. at the New River YMCA ELC, 159 Chaney Ave. in Jacksonville.

People interested in volunteering can sign up through the New River YMCA volunteer website.
Asia

Lahore tuition center roof collapse kills 14 children

Roof and building collapses are common in Pakistan, mainly because of poor safety standards and substandard construction materials.

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At least 14 schoolchildren were killed after the roof of a tutoring center in Lahore, Pakistan, collapsed, officials said.

A teacher and eight other children were injured and were being treated at a hospital. Police said the center’s owner and another person had been arrested.

Medical sources said the children who were killed were about 4 to 12 years old, according to Agence France-Presse.

Senior police official Faisal Kamran said rescuers were searching the rubble after reports that more children could be trapped, Reuters reported. He said the center was in an aging building and that the roof of an unfinished second floor apparently collapsed because of poor construction quality.

A witness told Agence France-Presse that workers had been repairing tiles on the building when the roof gave way and fell on the children.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed his “grief over the loss of precious lives in the collapse of a tuition centre roof in Lahore’s Kahna area.”

Sharif “prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured and directed the authorities to provide them with every possible medical assistance,” according to a statement from his office.

Last July, 27 people were killed and 10 others were injured when a five-story building collapsed in Lyari, a low-income area of Karachi.
World Politics

Iran rejects U.S. talks, complicating ceasefire push

“No meeting at any level with the American side has been scheduled for the coming days,” Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said.

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Iran said Tuesday it would not meet directly with senior U.S. envoys who arrived in the region after recent hostilities, dimming prospects for a lasting agreement.

Iranian officials said the sides still had to resolve terms of a ceasefire signed two weeks ago before addressing harder issues, including possible limits on Iran’s nuclear program.

The dispute highlighted gaps over key parts of the initial framework, which called for Iran to end restrictions on traffic through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for financial incentives and set a 60-day period for negotiations on a permanent deal.

President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, and envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Doha for what the White House called “high level” talks. Iran and host Qatar said the Americans would meet mediators rather than Iranian officials. Qatar said Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani was among those meeting Witkoff and Kushner.

Shipping had partly resumed through the strait, which handled one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas before war broke out on Feb. 28. But Iranian officials said Iran had the right to manage traffic with Oman, the U.S. ally on the other side of the waterway, and said Oman would impose tolls in mid-August, when the 60-day period expires.

“The sovereignty of the Strait of Hormuz lies with Iran and Oman, and traffic in the Strait is subject to arrangements determined by Iran,” Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammed Baqer Qalibaf, said on state TV.

Vice President JD Vance said Iran would not be allowed to charge tolls on the waterway, telling The Michael Knowles Show, “This is not going to end in a place where the Iranians are collecting tolls on ships going through the Strait of Hormuz.” He also said in the interview, recorded Monday and released Tuesday, that oil flows had returned to prewar levels on some days, without citing figures.

Oil prices fell after the weekend, when the U.S. bombed Iranian military facilities in response to drone strikes on commercial ships, and Iran attacked U.S. military sites in Kuwait and Bahrain. The U.N. trade and development agency said vulnerable economies could still face higher food and fuel costs.

The interim deal also called for ending fighting between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. But Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, cast doubt on a separate U.S.-brokered framework between Lebanon and Israel. Analysts said the plan risked prolonging a stalemate by linking Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon to Hezbollah’s disarmament.
\top\

Trump disclosure shows $1.4 billion in crypto income

Cryptocurrency was Trump’s largest reported source of income, exceeding the $77 million he reported from his Mar-a-Lago resort and the $25 million from his Northern Virginia golf club.

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President Donald Trump reported earning at least $1.4 billion in 2025 from cryptocurrency and memecoin-related businesses, according to his latest annual financial disclosure.

The 927-page filing, released Friday by the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, detailed income from his hotels, golf resorts, and cryptocurrency ventures.

Trump reported more than $588 million from sales by World Liberty Financial, a crypto firm whose co-founders include Trump, his sons, and Steven Witkoff, a top diplomat in his administration. Zach Witkoff, the envoy’s son, serves as chief executive officer.

CIC Digital LLC, Trump’s memecoin business, generated $636 million in income, almost all of it from royalties tied to a license agreement with Celebration Coins. CIC Digital also held cryptocurrencies in digital wallets worth at least $60 million. Trump separately reported nearly $197 million from an equity sale of Stablecoin Holdco.

Trump, whose net worth was estimated at $7.6 billion by the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, valued more than two dozen assets at more than $50 million, including Mar-a-Lago, his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, and his stake in Trump Media & Technology Group Corp., which owns Truth Social.

Federal officials disclose asset values in broad ranges, with “over $50 million” as the highest category, so the filing cannot be used to calculate an exact net worth.

The disclosure renewed scrutiny of Trump’s decision not to divest his assets or place them in a blind trust with an independent overseer. His business empire is managed by two of his sons and includes operations that overlap with areas of federal policy.

The filing also showed that Trump paid off three mortgages in 2025, including one on 40 Wall Street that had at one point been valued at more than $50 million. The mortgage was taken out in 2015 and carried a 3.665% interest rate, according to the documents.

Trump also reported receiving 10 tickets to the World Cup finals in July from FIFA President Gianni Infantino, valued at $15,000, 10 tickets to the U.S. Open from sponsor Rolex worth $25,000, and 10 tickets to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans valued at $50,000.
Africa

U.N. warns Ebola outbreak could cut Africa GDP

Aid workers have for weeks struggled to arrange safe burials in affected areas amid mistrust from some local communities. In Congo, funerals often last several days, during which relatives and friends touch the body.

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An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo has infected 1,307 people and killed 377 since it was declared on May 15, the government said.

The United Nations said the outbreak could cost Africa up to $3.6 billion and lead to hundreds of thousands of job losses if it spreads more widely.

The Bundibugyo strain, for which there is no tested vaccine or treatment, has also produced a smaller number of cases in Uganda. Experts have warned it could spread to neighboring countries, including South Sudan.

“If we have the resources and we step up, we can contain this outbreak and prevent further losses,” said Damien Mama, United Nations Development Programme resident representative in Congo.

“If we do not, this health emergency risks becoming a much deeper and prolonged development crisis across the region, and potentially the continent.”

The U.N. Development Programme outlined three scenarios. In its best-case scenario, with the outbreak contained in Congo and Uganda, Congo’s gross domestic product would take a $1 billion hit, the report said.

In the worst-case scenario, the disease spreads to other countries, including Rwanda and Angola, and coincides with higher fuel costs linked to the Iran crisis, reducing Africa’s GDP by $3.6 billion and costing 328,000 jobs, the report said.

Ituri province, affected by conflict, is the center of Congo’s 17th Ebola outbreak, which began in May. The virus has spread in some cases during funerals, where Ebola victims’ bodies are handled.

Last week, the government banned public gatherings in four provinces, including the capital, Kinshasa, as it sought to limit the outbreak’s spread.

The order came before a planned July 8 protest in Kinshasa against constitutional reform, and opposition figures called the ban “politically motivated.”