We haven't heard a whole lot from former Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO) since she left office at the end of the 118th Congress (having been defeated in the Democratic primary last August by former St. Louis County Prosecutor Wesley Bell). But that doesn't mean all's been quiet in her world. 

In fact, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced 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 regarding the indictment, the DOJ stated: 

WASHINGTON – Cortney Merritts, 46, of St. Louis, Missouri, was charged today by federal indictment with two counts of wire fraud for allegedly filing fraudulent applications with the Small Business Administration in 2020 and 2021 that allowed him to collect more than $20,000 in government funds under the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

The indictment was announced 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

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Further details of the indictment: 

According to the indictment, on July 7, 2020, Merritts received an $8,500 EIDL loan from the SBA for a moving business he operated that he called Vetted Couriers. In the application he submitted for Vetted Couriers, Merritts certified that his business had six employees and had generated $32,000 in gross revenue between January 30, 2019 and January 30, 2020.

On July 8, 2020, Merritts submitted another application to the SBA for an EIDL loan in the name of a sole proprietorship he called “Courtney Merritts.”  In this EIDL application, Merritts fraudulently claimed to have a business that employed ten people and generated $53,000 in gross revenue between January 30, 2019 and January 30, 2020.  In addition to an EIDL loan, Merritts also requested an EIDL advance of up to $10,000 based on his false claim that he had 10 employees. The SBA rejected Merritts’ attempt to obtain additional EIDL funds after determining that his July 2020 application was nearly identical to the prior one he submitted.

The indictment further alleges that on April 22, 2021, Merritts applied for a PPP loan in the name of a sole proprietorship he called “Cortney Merritts.”  Merritts fraudulently claimed in this application that he had created this business in 2020 and that it had generated $128,000 in gross income that year. Based on Merritts’ representations about his gross income, Merritts received a $20,832 PPP loan. Merritts used the proceeds for his personal benefit and enjoyment.  In July 2022, Merritts submitted a loan forgiveness application in which he falsely claimed that this business had 10 employees at the time of the PPP loan, and that he spent the $20,832 on payroll costs. Based on Merritts’ alleged fraudulent representations, the SBA forgave the PPP loan in the amount of $20,832 and the $254.03 in interest.

There was already controversy surrounding Bush and Merritts after it came to light that Bush was under investigation for using campaign funds to pay Merritts roughly $60,000 for "security services." Bush justified the expenditure by saying she'd had difficulty finding competent staff. But Merritts, it turns out, did not have a security license. 

Now, it appears that may just have been the tip of the iceberg. 

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