Georgia Republican apologizes for $140M Ponzi scheme as judge freezes assets

JEFF AMY

Fri, Jul 11, 2025, 3:25 PM 4 min read

ATLANTA (AP) — A prominent Georgia Republican accused of running a $140 million Ponzi scheme publicly apologized on Friday as a federal judge ordered his assets frozen and appointed a receiver to try to recover cash for investors.

Brant Frost IV said in a statement issued through his lawyers that he “would like to apologize personally to those I have harmed, but I am under restrictions which prevent me from doing so.”

“I take full responsibility for my actions and am resolved to spend the rest of my life trying to repay as much as I can to the many people I misled and let down," Frost said in the statement. “I will be cooperating with the receiver and federal authorities and ask that everyone allow the receiver time to sort things out and do his best to repair the damage I created.”

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission said in a civil lawsuit filed Thursday that First Liberty Building and Loan, controlled by Frost, lied to investors about its business of making high-interest loans to companies. Instead, investigators said that its loans mostly went sour and that it then raised more money to repay earlier investors, while Frost skimmed millions for himself and his family.

The firm's collapse rocked the religious and political networks that fed cash to the business, based in suburban Newnan, southwest of Atlanta. It also could have ramifications in state Republican politics, cutting off funding to the far-right candidates that Frost and his family have favored. Investigators said Frost spent $570,000 from investor funds on political contributions.

U.S. District Judge Michael Brown on Friday froze Frost's personal and corporate assets, banned him from the securities business, and ordered him to pay back ill-gotten gains with interest and fines. The SEC requested the order and Frost agreed to it without admitting or denying any factual allegations.

The judge also appointed financial consultant S. Gregory Hays as receiver. He will take control of assets, examine the books and try to claw back money. Everyone else is barred, for now, from suing Frost or First Liberty.

The SEC said the business had only $2.67 million in cash as of May 30. With 300 investors out $140 million, that means the average investor put in nearly $500,000.

Frost is alleged to have taken $17 million for himself, his family and affiliated companies, spending $573,000 on political donations to Republicans, $160,000 on jewelry, $20,800 on a Patek Philippe watch and $335,000 to buy gold coins. Frost is also accused of spending $320,000 to rent a vacation home over multiple years in Kennebunkport, Maine, the town where the family of late president George H. W. Bush spent summers.