The husband of former Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) allegedly defrauded taxpayers of over $20,000 in a COVID loan scheme and used the funds for personal gain, as per the DC US Attorney’s Office.
Cortney Merritts, 46, was indicted on two counts of wire fraud for submitting fraudulent applications to the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021, allowing him to receive government funds from the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) without repayment.
Merritts obtained an $8,500 EIDL loan for his moving business in July 2020 by falsely claiming to have six employees and $32,000 in revenue the previous year.
Shortly after, Merritts submitted another application for a different business, falsely stating it had ten employees and generated $53,000 in revenue to obtain more funds.
Despite SBA rejecting the applications due to identical documents, Merritts attempted to secure a $10,000 EIDL advance based on false information.
In 2021, Merritts applied for a PPP loan under a new business name, falsely claiming it generated $128,000 in income in 2020.
Unlike the previous applications, this one was approved, and Merritts received a $20,832 PPP loan, which he used for personal expenses.
Despite the allegations, Merritts plans to plead not guilty, according to his attorney.
Cori Bush, the former congresswoman, is not implicated in her husband’s indictment.
In a separate incident, Bush faced scrutiny in 2023 for paying Merritts for security services without the proper license, as per a Federal Election Commission complaint.
The investigation into Bush’s use of funds for private security is ongoing, with no charges filed against her.
