HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WHNT) — Two North Alabama elected officials say they have now sent back campaign contributions they received from a Georgia-based company that federal investigators contend was operating a Ponzi scheme.
The Alabama Secretary of State’s Office has called for any related contributions to be returned, and the Alabama Securities Commission said it has opened an investigation.
Alabama Reflector and AL.com did the first detailed reporting on the investigation and the Alabama politicians who received donations from the company.
Campaign finance records on the Alabama Secretary of State’s website show among those receiving contributions were Alabama State Auditor Andrew Sorrell, of Muscle Shoals, who is running for Secretary of State, Alabama State Rep. Ben Harrison, R-Rogersville and Alabama State Board of Education member Allen Long of Florence.
Harrison and Sorrell said they have repaid or have sent a check to a court-appointed receiver to reimburse the donations. Long did not respond to News 19’s request for comment. The receiver is expected to assist investors in getting money back.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a complaint two weeks ago alleging Newnan, Ga.-based First Liberty Building and Loan and its owner, and affiliated companies raised more than $140 million through 300 investors from 2014 to 2025, but did not use the investments as promised.
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The court filing contends the company told investors it would make “bridge loans,” short-term loans to businesses, and charge 18% interest. Court records also show the company indicated the Small Business Administration would pay back the loans through the businesses that borrowed money.
However, the SEC contends the SBA was never involved in the process and most investors were not repaid.
The court-appointed receiver said this week the company had made at least 1,000 political contributions totaling more than $1 million.
Records show Harrison received just over $21,000 from Brant Frost, the company’s owner, who is named in the complaint. Frost sent Harrison checks worth $10,000 and $11,000 in March and May 2022. Harrison told News 19 he sent back the amount he received, $21,300, to the court-appointed receiver last Saturday.
“I am heartbroken for all involved in this terrible situation. There is no excuse for Ponzi schemes and financial deception. Though there has been no court findings or requirement, I have already returned the contributions for my State House campaign. My priority is to go above and beyond to support those affected by this tragic loss,” Harrison said.
Sorrell’s contributions received record is more complicated, though it appears to total just over $71,000. He has been a candidate for office and also runs a political action committee, Alabama Christian Citizens.
Records show Sorrell received $5,000 from “Edwin Frost” – the company owner’s full name is Edwin Brant Frost IV. Sorrell got another $5,000 from Brant Frost. First Liberty contributed $10,000 in 2022.
First National Investments, another affiliated company according to the SEC, gave Sorrell $25,000 in May 2025 and $10,000 in May 2022.
First Liberty gave $12,500 to Alabama Christian Citizens in July 2024, and the PAC overall received more than $16,000 from Newnan, Ga.-based entities affiliated with First Liberty.
In an unusual request, first reported by Alabama Reflector and AL.com, Sorrell asked the Alabama Ethics Commission a series of questions about making loans with political action committee money. The questions included:
1. Are there any limits on the amount of money or the length of time that a PAC or PCC could
purchase a Certificate of Deposit (CD) to earn interest on?
2. Is there any requirement that part or all of the money be insured by the FDIC?
3. In the event that the loaned money was lost, would there be any obligation on the part of
the candidate or the Chairman of the PAC to repay that money?
4. Is there any prohibition on the money being loaned to an entity other than a bank?
5. Is there any prohibition on which banks or private companies a PAC or PCC could loan
to?
6. Are there any restrictions on what types of investments a PAC or PCC could participate in, beyond buying a bank CD or loaning money to earn interest?
The Alabama Ethics Commission’s opinion was that there was nothing in Alabama law that prevented such loans, or a need for the Chairman of the PAC to pay money back in the event the money was lost.
Records show Alabama Christian Citizens loaned First Liberty $29,000 in April 2024.
News 19 asked Sorrell about his relationship with the company. He said when the SEC filed the Ponzi scheme complaint, he was among the investors who lost money.
Sorrell also told News 19, “The bank had marketed itself through conservative channels as a ‘patriotic and Christian investment opportunity. It’s an unfortunate situation that happens frequently across the U.S., and all of us who trusted the marketing and lost our investments have learned a tough lesson.”
“One of the individuals responsible for the scheme donated to dozens of conservative Republican campaigns across the southeast, including mine, and I will return the contribution to a court-appointed receiver as soon as the process is available,” he added.
“It’s important that all recovered money goes back to the investors so everyone can be made whole rather than to the individual who defrauded us,” he said.
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