Great Falls Man Found Guilty of Wire Fraud for COVID Funds

GREAT FALLS – The grim halls of justice have again echoed with the sound of betrayal as Raymond Marcellous Blair, a 45-year-old resident of Great Falls, was found guilty by Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris for his fraudulent misuse of COVID-19 relief funds.

Blair’s deceitful scheme unraveled in a one-day bench trial where he faced charges of wire fraud and money laundering. The defendant, who had previously been convicted of felony crimes, now faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire fraud charge and an additional ten years for each money laundering count, not to mention a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release.

The sentence will be handed down on January 28, 2026, after Judge Morris considers the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other relevant factors. Until then, Blair remains free on bail.

According to court documents, Blair applied for Economic Injury and Disaster Loans (EIDL) from the Small Business Administration (SBA) in August 2020, falsely claiming his business had $249,000 in gross revenues and that he had no criminal record within the last five years. In reality, he had been convicted of aggravated assault in 2011 and failing to register as a violent offender in 2017.

The SBA fell for Blair’s lies, wiring $99,900 into his account on September 1, 2020. The defendant then siphoned over $10,000 out of the account and spent most of the loan on personal expenses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin D. Hargrove prosecuted the case, while the investigation was led by the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General. Blair’s conviction serves as a stark reminder of the corruption that can rear its head in times of crisis, even among those who are meant to benefit from relief efforts.

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