According to federal prosecutors, the husband of former US Representative Cori Bush was accused of wire fraud in connection with an alleged Covid loan scheme that resulted in his pocketing more than$ 20,000 in taxpayer funds.
Cortney Merritts, 46, is accused of submitting false applications to the Small Business Administration ( SBA ) in 2020 and 2021 to secure government funding for the pandemic-stricken businesses. Merritt’s allegedly misrepresented the financial and employee numbers of his company in order to receive federal funding, which he then used for “personal gain and entertainment” according to the district of Columbia’s US attorney.
According to the indictment, Merritts ‘ moving company, Vetted Couriers, received an$ 8,500 economic injury disaster loan ( EIDL ) in July 2020 after claiming it employed six people and made$ 32, 000 the previous year.
He reportedly filed a second EIDL program the following day under the name” Courtney Merritts,” claiming that it had ten workers and generated$ 53, 000 in profits. The SBA, however, rejected this second demand after discovering the nearly identical information in both programs.
A year later, in April 2021, Merritts applied for a paycheck protection program ( PPP ) loan, this time claiming that his company was established in 2020 and made$ 128, 000 that same year. Although federal prosecutors claim these assertions were false, his application was accepted and he was given a$ 20, 832 loan. The payment, which included$ 254 in interest, was afterwards refunded.
The New York Post reported that Merritts “used the money for his private profit and enjoyment” despite no specifying how the money was spent.
Justin Gelfand, Merritts ‘ attorney, informed The Washington Post that his client intends to contest the allegations. We look forward to taking this situation on trial in court, he said.
In the 2024 election, Bush lost her Missouri 1st District seat, a former Democratic lawmaker and a part of the liberal” Squad.” In this case, she is never charged with any crime.
But, Bush has recently been subject to scrutiny for payments her battle made to Merritts for security services despite his lack of the required license. A watchdog group, the Foundation for Accountability and Civic Trust ( FACT), filed a complaint in 2023 alleging that Bush cheated on Merritts by paying her$ 60,000 in 2022 for security services before their engagement in February 2023. According to national vote commission records, her strategy was even receiving$ 224, 000 from a St. Louis-based company, PEACE Security, and$ 204, 000 from another security guard, Nathaniel Davis,$ 50, 000 from another source.
Bush’s alleged criminal record is unknown, but the justice ministry apparently opened an investigation into her administration’s security spending next year. She has not been facing any criminal charges.
