Whoops! Cori Bushs Husband Just Got Indicted by | Political News

We have not heard a entire lot from former Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) since she left workplace on the finish of the 118th Congress (having been defeated within the Democratic main final August by former St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell). But that does not imply all’s been quiet in her world. 

In truth, the Department of Justice (DOJ) introduced on Thursday that her husband, Cortney Merritts, has been indicted for allegedly committing COVID fraud. 

District of Columbia | Indictment Charges St. Louis Man with COVID Fraud | United States Department of Justice https://t.co/cOKuNZDE4p

— Gregg Keller (@RGreggKeller) March 20, 2025

In a press release concerning the indictment, the DOJ acknowledged: 

WASHINGTON – Cortney Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, Missouri, was charged at this time by federal indictment with two counts of wire fraud for allegedly submitting fraudulent functions with the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021 that allowed him to gather more than $20,000 in authorities funds beneath the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The indictment was introduced by U.S. Attorney Edward Martin Jr., Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall Brathwaite of the Eastern Region for the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of the Inspector General, and FBI Special Agent in Charge Sean Ryan of the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division.

WATCH: Cori Bush’s New Explanation As to Why She Hired Her Husband Is Something Else

Cori Bush Paying Her Now-Husband $60,000 for ‘Security’ Just Turned Into a Bona Fide Scandal

Further particulars of the indictment: 

According to the indictment, on July 7, 2020, Merritts obtained an $8,500 EIDL loan from the SBA for a transferring business he operated that he referred to as Vetted Couriers. In the applying he submitted for Vetted Couriers, Merritts licensed that his business had six staff and had generated $32,000 in gross income between January 30, 2019 and January 30, 2020.

On July 8, 2020, Merritts submitted one other utility to the SBA for an EIDL loan within the identify of a sole proprietorship he referred to as “Courtney Merritts.”  In this EIDL utility, Merritts fraudulently claimed to have a business that employed ten people and generated $53,000 in gross income between January 30, 2019 and January 30, 2020.  In addition to an EIDL loan, Merritts additionally requested an EIDL advance of up to $10,000 based mostly on his false declare that he had 10 staff. The SBA rejected Merritts’ attempt to acquire extra EIDL funds after figuring out that his July 2020 utility was almost equivalent to the prior one he submitted.

The indictment additional alleges that on April 22, 2021, Merritts utilized for a PPP loan within the identify of a sole proprietorship he referred to as “Cortney Merritts.”  Merritts fraudulently claimed on this utility that he had created this business in 2020 and that it had generated $128,000 in gross income that 12 months. Based on Merritts’ representations about his gross income, Merritts obtained a $20,832 PPP loan. Merritts used the proceeds for his personal benefit and pleasure.  In July 2022, Merritts submitted a loan forgiveness utility through which he falsely claimed that this business had 10 staff on the time of the PPP loan, and that he spent the $20,832 on payroll prices. Based on Merritts’ alleged fraudulent representations, the SBA forgave the PPP loan within the quantity of $20,832 and the $254.03 in curiosity.

There was already controversy surrounding Bush and Merritts after it got here to mild that Bush was beneath investigation for utilizing marketing campaign funds to pay Merritts roughly $60,000 for “security services.” Bush justified the expenditure by saying she’d had issue discovering competent employees. But Merritts, it seems, didn’t have a security license. 

Now, it seems that could have been the tip of the iceberg. 

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