Cori Bush's Husband Indicted for COVID-19 Relief Fraud

Cortney Merritts faces wire fraud charges for allegedly falsifying loan applications to secure over $20,000 in federal pandemic funds.

Cortney Merritts, husband of former U.S. Rep. Cori Bush, has been charged with two counts of wire fraud related to COVID-19 relief programs.
Merritts allegedly misrepresented employee numbers and revenue in loan applications submitted in 2020 and 2021 for the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
He secured a $20,832 PPP loan in 2021 by falsely claiming his business generated $128,000 in gross income, with the funds later forgiven by the Small Business Administration (SBA).
The Department of Justice stated Merritts used the funds for personal benefit, and his attorney has announced plans to plead not guilty.
Cori Bush is not implicated in the case, though she has faced unrelated investigations into her campaign spending.