Texas Man Pleads Guilty to Defrauding Albany Church of Millions in Hurricane Michael Insurance Payout

A Texas man has pleaded guilty to defrauding an Albany church out of millions of dollars intended for repairs to its historic downtown facility, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Michael in 2018 and remains unrepaired.

Andrew Mitchell, also known as “Andrew Aga,” 45, of Kemah, Texas, pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud before U.S. District Judge W. Louis Sands on March 27. Mitchell faces up to 30 years in prison, at least three years of supervised release, and a $1,000,000 fine. The court will determine his sentencing date. There is no parole in the federal system.

According to court documents, Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, located on Pine Avenue in Albany, sustained significant damage when Hurricane Michael made landfall as a Category 5 storm near Mexico Beach, Florida, on October 10, 2018. The storm’s eyewall hit Albany as a Category 3 hurricane, with winds reaching 115 miles per hour and heavy rainfall. Initial damage estimates for the church were at least $216,000, and its insurer, Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company of Fort Wayne, Indiana, issued a $183,207.89 check for partial repairs on November 15, 2018.

Shortly after, an individual identifying as Eric Goldberg, claiming to be associated with Blue Key Construction, met with the church’s pastor, Carl White, and later with the church’s Board of Directors Co-Chairperson, Willie Thomas. Goldberg presented a contract that authorized Mitchell to act as a public adjuster for the church.

In December 2018, Mitchell began communicating with Brotherhood Mutual, presenting himself as a Georgia public adjuster working for International Consulting Group. He was linked to multiple corporate entities, including Texas Wind Consultants, LLC, and Loss Consultants of Texas, LLC, operating as Texas Claim Consultants. By January 2019, Mitchell submitted an itemized estimate for church repairs totaling approximately $2.1 million on Georgia Claim Consultants’ letterhead. He later revised the estimate, claiming damages of $7.1 million, and in March 2019, he followed up with another estimate of $6.1 million.

On July 10, 2019, Brotherhood Mutual issued a check for $3,376,102.18 to the church and Mitchell, which was mailed to Albany. Mitchell then requested a reissued check payable to Friendship Missionary Baptist Church and Loss Consultants of Texas, LLC, operating as Texas Claim Consultants. On July 19, 2019, the insurance company reissued the check as requested and mailed it to Mitchell at an address in Lake Shores, Texas. An endorsement on behalf of Friendship Missionary Baptist Church was forged.

Mitchell continued to secure additional fraudulent insurance payouts. On December 11, 2019, Brotherhood Mutual issued another check for $2,762,783.93, which was mailed to Mitchell in Kemah, Texas, with a forged church endorsement. A final check of $544,512.80 was issued on January 6, 2021, and mailed to Mitchell, with another fraudulent endorsement.

In total, Brotherhood Mutual paid $6,866,606.80 for the church’s hurricane repairs, but the church received less than a third of those funds. Blue Key Construction, which was supposed to complete the repairs, ceased work in February 2021 after receiving approximately $150,000 from the church and $2.3 million from Mitchell. Mitchell misled both the church and Blue Key Construction, falsely claiming the insurance company was withholding further payments.

In June 2022, when church representatives confronted Mitchell about the incomplete repairs, he again falsely stated that Brotherhood Mutual had not released additional funds. However, investigations revealed that Mitchell had siphoned off most of the money intended for rebuilding the church.

The Georgia Office of Commissioner of Insurance and Fire Safety investigated the case. Criminal Chief Leah McEwen is prosecuting the case for the government.