After losing his inheritance in an alleged Ponzi scheme run by a family of trusted friends who were highly respected in the community, Nathaniel Darnell is being accused of someone else’s alleged crime and suffering political persecution from Brad Raffensperger. Help us seek justice by donating to Nathaniel’s legal defense.

BACKGROUND

Hi, my name is Abigail Darnell and I am the mother of three small children with baby number four on the way. My husband, Nathaniel, has served his clients as a financial advisor since before we were married, and has donated much of his free time serving in various volunteer capacities in the Georgia Republican Party. Three years ago Nathaniel was elected President of the Georgia Republican Assembly, a volunteer grassroots organization that in 2025, worked with GOP delegates to successfully pass a motion at the state GOP convention barring Brad Raffensperger from qualifying as a Republican after he has repeatedly opposed election integrity reform. Nathaniel was one of the election integrity supporters who made the motion for the adoption of that measure, which passed overwhelmingly. I wrote an article which the GRA published under my real name, applauding the motion and highlighting the Secretary of State’s negative reputation. 

In July 2025 we were distressed to learn that the government had shut down First Liberty Building and Loan. Nathaniel needed to know why. Our family had participated in some of their loans, and Nathaniel had over the last 5 years innocently referred some of his clients to them when it seemed suitable and might meet their needs and serve them well. Many of Nathaniel’s clients were personal friends and we were all greatly alarmed and desperate for answers.

Nathaniel immediately called Brant Frost V. No answer. 

Then he texted: “Hey Brant, I’m getting messages from clients asking me what’s going on with First Liberty. I need to know what to tell them.”

No reply. No call back. No explanation in over 8 months. 

First Liberty had been in business for over 30 years. Nathaniel had known the Frosts for over two decades as a professing Christian homeschool family. Surely. I thought, they weren’t involved in anything criminal. 

Their loan agreements were highly recommend to Nathaniel by other esteemed figures, such as the former Insurance Commissioner, Ralph Hudgens. He wouldn’t have recommended anything shady, right?  I wondered: If First Liberty was a house of cards, why were there no red flags from any government agency about them? 

“Nathaniel really believed in First Liberty and we all trusted the Frosts. When we lost our investment, that was Nathaniel’s inheritance. He wouldn’t have intentionally lost his own inheritance if he had known,” said Patricia Darnell, Nathaniel’s Mom.

It would be some time yet before we learned about the alleged Ponzi scheme. Details began to unfold slowly all painting a darker and darker picture. We felt scammed. Exploited. Used. 

But it got worse. 

 UNJUSTLY FINED $500,000 WITHOUT A JURY TRIAL

On February 24, 2026, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger fined Nathaniel half a million dollars and ordered him to cease and desist from practicing as a financial advisor. His allegations presumed criminal intent in spite of overwhelming evidence that shows Nathaniel was unaware of the alleged Ponzi scheme, that he was deceived, and that he was in fact operating in the best interests of his clients. 

The accusations made against Nathaniel were false or greatly misleading, censoring facts that point to Nathaniel being misled by First Liberty. Raffensperger seems to be throwing every accusation conceivable against the wall and hoping something might stick. Or perhaps he doesn’t care if any of them hold up in court. 

One of the snuck premises in the order is that First Liberty was offering “securities” but according to First Liberty, what they were offering was “loans, not securities”, and their compliance officer told Nathaniel so in an email. This email is one of the pieces of evidence that Brad Raffensperger has had for months and is choosing to ignore. 

We were floored. How can Raffensperger just ignore evidence like this? How can he just ignore the loan documents showing Nathaniel’s own family were victimized? No one scams their own family. 

Brad Raffensperger acted as both judge and jury and should have recused himself for his conflict of interest due to Nathaniel’s role in attempting to prevent Raffensperger from being allowed to qualify on the Republican ballot last year. Releasing his order the week before candidate qualifying seemed strategically timed to discredit Nathaniel and ensure Raffensperger faced no obstacles to his campaign for Governor.

This order was highly unusual for Georgia’s Secretary of State, and, according to an attorney who specializes in Ponzi schemes, Brad Raffensperger usually does nothing in these cases and the attorneys deal solely with the SEC at the federal level. Furthermore, Raffensperger gave unwarranted publicity to his accusations by holding an entire press conference about Nathaniel. 

Nathaniel didn’t do anything criminal and we have a strong case for any judge who is not biased or politically motivated. Many of the accusations impugn Nathaniel’s motives, which sound damning in a news report but cannot be proven and is contradicted by evidence. Such as the accusation that Nathaniel “exploited their Christian faith” or that he “exploited his position as GRA President to build trust.” These things never occurred. There is no evidence supporting these claims. The charge is a statement of opinion about Nathaniel’s motive. No one was exploited by Nathaniel because he honestly shared only what he genuinely believed to be true, and what would have served his clients well if he had not been lied to.

Furthermore, Raffensperger would have a hard time arguing that there is anything illegal or unethical about being openly “Christian” in the workplace, since the U.S. Constitution protects “the free exercise of religion.” Indeed Brad Raffensperger referenced his own professed Christianity numerous times in a recent campaign mailer for his candidacy for Governor. How is that not “using Christianity to cultivate trust” with voters? The hypocrisy is sickening.

One of the greatest challenges for me on a personal level has been trying to forgive certain people, like former clients of Nathaniel’s that we care about and who were personal friends and professing Christians and who are now being quoted greatly exaggerating and in some cases straight up lying about my husband. I suspect they are being coached by their attorneys to say whatever will illicit sympathy for their victim story and help them recover money, but it is what the Bible calls “bearing false witness” and it is not right. Also, it seems highly unjust that they are allowed to make these claims defaming Nathaniel’s character while hiding behind a shield of anonymity. Would you pray for me that God would help me to forgive and not become bitter? 

I am thankful our children are still little enough that they cannot read the false, despicable things people are claiming about their daddy, and it is comforting to think that they will probably not remember this difficult chapter in our lives. 

Some of the accusations deal with Nathaniel’s relationship to his previous firm but they didn’t offer any product similar to First Liberty’s participation loan agreements and he was approved by his firm to raise capital with other groups. Other accusations deal with our side business, Persevero Properties suggesting that business is a total sham, but this is easily disproven. In fact, Raffensperger has in his possession documentation of legitimate renovation expenses, and rental income to Persevero Properties, that he is choosing to ignore. Not to mention we have some great before and after photos of the house we renovated. 

IF INJUSTICE PREVAILS, NO FAMILY IS SAFE

Anyone who knows my husband knows that he is super based and exudes a lot of masculine courage in support of politically incorrect causes when he believes them to be morally right. I knew when I married him that he was willing to risk everything fighting to save our country, and he would inevitably take some risks doing things that would probably paint a massive target on his back. Well, we now find ourselves in the crosshairs of some enemies in powerful positions and are wholly reliant on divine providence for succor. 

I am grateful that God has provided Nathaniel an experienced attorney who specializes in this field, but we need the financial means to retain him for what might turn out to be a long, drawn-out process. Can you pitch in to help us? 

Nathaniel’s case has implications for all Georgians. If Brad Raffensperger can get away with ignoring evidence, imposing an exorbitant fine without a jury trial, and persecuting a family like ours for political reasons, no family is safe. Law-fare has become a common political tactic in 2026 where innocent people can be subjected to a grueling, expensive legal process, sometimes lasting multiple years. Truly, “the process is the punishment.” 

God knows Nathaniel is innocent of these accusations and we are trusting Him to provide for us as He always has. If you feel led to support our legal battle for justice, we would be ever so appreciative. Any size contribution would be a blessing and would help ensure Nathaniel has wise legal counsel as he navigates this terrain. 

If you do not feel led to contribute, we would be grateful for your prayers for our family and the other victims in this situation. Our prayer continues to be that God would restore the victims and bring the true perpetrators to justice. 

Sincerely,

Abigail Darnell