The husband of former US Representative Cori Bush was charged with wire fraud in connection with an alleged Covid loan scheme that saw him pocket more than $20,000 in taxpayer money, federal prosecutors said.
Cortney Merritts, 46, is accused of filing fraudulent applications with the Small Business Administration (SBA) in 2020 and 2021, securing government funds meant for struggling businesses during the pandemic. The US attorney’s office for the district of Columbia alleged, Merritt’s misrepresented his company’s finances and employee numbers to obtain federal aid, which he then used for his “personal benefit and enjoyment.”
According to the indictment, Merritts received an $8,500 economic injury disaster loan (EIDL) in July 2020 for his moving business, Vetted Couriers, after claiming it employed six people and earned $32,000 the previous year.
The next day, he allegedly filed another EIDL application under a different business called, “Courtney Merritts,” claiming that it had ten employees and generated $53,000 in revenue. However, the SBA rejected this second request after spotting the near-identical details in both applications.
A year later, in April 2021, Merritts applied for a paycheck protection program (PPP) loan, this time claiming his business was founded in 2020 and earned $128,000 that same year. Federal prosecutors say these claims were false, but his application was approved, and he received a $20,832 loan. The loan, including $254 in interest, was later forgiven.
“Merritts used the proceeds for his personal benefit and enjoyment,” prosecutors said, though they did not specify how the money was spent, the New York Post reported.
Merritts’ attorney, Justin Gelfand, told The Washington Post that his client plans to fight the charges. “We look forward to litigating this case in the courtroom,” he said.
Bush, a former Democratic congresswoman and member of the progressive “Squad,” lost her Missouri 1st District seat in the 2024 election. She is not accused of any wrongdoing in this case.
However, Bush has previously faced scrutiny over payments her campaign made to Merritts for security services, despite him not having the necessary license. In 2023, a watchdog group, the foundation for accountability and civic trust (FACT), filed a complaint alleging Bush misused campaign funds when she paid Merritts $60,000 in 2022 for security services before they were married in February 2023. At the time, her campaign was also paying a St Louis-based firm, PEACE Security, $225,000 and another security guard, Nathaniel Davis, $50,000, according to federal election commission records.
The justice department was reportedly investigating Bush last year over her campaign’s security spending, but her current legal status remains unclear. She has not been charged with any crime.