Husband Of Former Rep. Cori Bush Indicted For COVID Relief Fraud

Cortney Merritts, the husband of former Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), has been indicted for allegedly defrauding the U.S. government out of pandemic relief funds. Federal prosecutors say Merritts submitted false applications for loans under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program, securing $20,000 in taxpayer money.

The indictment, filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., accuses Merritts of misrepresenting financial information about two supposed businesses. On April 3, 2020, he applied for an EIDL loan using the name Vetted Courier and Logistics, claiming it employed six people and brought in $32,000 before the COVID disaster was declared. After receiving money from that application, Merritts allegedly submitted a second EIDL request — this time using his personal name — with nearly identical information and inflated revenue claims. That request was denied.

🚨 #BREAKING: The husband of ousted Rep. Cori Bush, a member of AOC’s squad, was just charged by DOJ with WIRE FRAUD for fraudulently taking $20K in COVID relief

THANK YOU DOGE and DOJ for going after these crooks!

Bush ALSO paid her husband $5K PER MONTH in regulated funds for… pic.twitter.com/UNdkLo7CCh

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) March 20, 2025

Merritts also applied for PPP funds, asserting that another business he started in 2020 brought in $128,000 in revenue. Prosecutors say those figures were fabricated and the business operations were misrepresented.
The Justice Department confirmed the case is being handled by the Small Business Administration’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Washington Field Office. Merritts’ attorney, Justin Gelfand, has stated that his client will plead not guilty and plans to fight the charges in court.

JUST IN: Former Rep. Cori Bush’s husband indicted for wire fraud, accused of submitting false applications to receive COVID relief funds.

Shocker!

The development comes following a separate investigation where Bush is accused of paying her husband $150,000 to serve as her… pic.twitter.com/LUnux6LVtI

— Real Life Footage (@RealLifeFootage) March 21, 2025

Merritts’ legal troubles follow earlier controversy involving Cori Bush herself. While she has not been charged in this matter, her use of campaign funds to pay Merritts for private security services had already drawn the attention of the Department of Justice, the Federal Election Commission and the House Ethics Committee. Questions were raised about Merritts’ qualifications after it was revealed he held no security licenses in Missouri or Washington, D.C.

Bush, once a rising figure in the progressive “Squad,” lost her primary in 2024. Her defeat came amid backlash from pro-Israel groups after she condemned Israel’s military actions. Millions were spent to unseat her, including almost $9 million from the United Democracy Project and nearly $500,000 from Democratic Majority for Israel.

Merritts is one of several individuals recently charged in connection with pandemic-era loan fraud investigations now moving forward nearly five years later.